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[LUlLllil! 


‘itHlHK, 




The last 

yew York Bible- Woman. 


Frontispiece 








THE 


New York Bible-Woman. 



Mrs. J. McNAIR WRIGHT, 

I) 

AUTHOR OF 

“ Shoe-Bixdees of New York,” “New York Needle-Woman,” 
“Almost a Nun,” etc. 



“She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of 
kindness.” 



PHILADELPHIA: 


PRESBYTERIAN PUBLICATION COMMITTEE, 

1334 CHESTNUT STREET. 


NEW YORK; A. D. F. RANDOLPH, 770 BROADWAY. 





/ 







Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1869, by 


WM. L. IIILDEBURN, Treasurer, 
in ti~ust fw the 

PRESBYTERIAN PUBLICATION COMMITTEE, 


In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court for the Eastern District of 

Pennsylvania. 


Westcott & Thomson, 
Stereotypers, Philada. 


EDITOR’S PREFACE. 


^^The New York Bible-womau” has been pre- 
pared as a companion volume to ^‘The Shoe- 
Binders of New York” and “The New York 
Needle-woman.” Like them, it takes us to the 
homes of the poor and degraded in our com- 
mercial metropolis, and, whilst painting their 
sorrows, their sins and their woes, suggests what 
may be done to soothe these sorrows, check these 
sins and heal these woes. The bitter streams 
that flow from iifitemperance — giant evil of our 
land — are brought vividly to light, and the power 
of prayer, patience, piety and the pledge to arrest 
the stream, shown. Happy they who are per- 
mitted to labor, with our “ Bible- woman,” for 
the sad and sinning of our race. 


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CONTENTS 


CHAPTER I. 

>> PAGK 

Found Drowned 7 

CHAPTER II. 

Bible Mary 33 

CHAPTER III. 

The Miser’s Money 68 

CHAPTER IV. 

Setting up in Business 92 

CHAPTER V. 

The Bible-woman 129 

CHAPTER VI. 

The Good Time 178 

1 * 6 


6 


CONTENTS, 


CHAPTER VII. 

PAGE 

The Pledge 203 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Lost 235 

CHAPTER IX. 

Saved 260 


THE 


New York Bible -Woman. 


CHAPTER I. 

FOUND DROWNED. 

N" a first-floor room on the corner of 
Broome and Sullivan streets, not so 
very many years ago, were two 
women, ever — as are half the wo- 
men of New York — fighting for their 
lives. Their enemy was the giant Want, 
their weapons were needles’ points ; and 
daily, through fourteen or fifteen hours of 
a hand-to-hand struggle, they gave the 
giant several thousand pricks, and so 
were able to sleep on their arms and rise 
to the battle with another dawn. 

It was not a very easy or encouraging 
kind of life, as we who have not tried it 



8 THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 

may easily guess. It had worn on one 
of these two women, mind and body ; her 
face and form were thin, with sharp lines 
instead of soft curves ; her eyes were like 
half-smouldered coals ; she shut her teeth 
with a click ; she was more than full of 
hate for giant Want, and the surplus of 
her hate overflowed upon the world. 

The battle had not wrought these same 
effects upon the other woman. We may 
as well tell at once why it had not : she 
had a strength born above — the strength 
which the angels bring daily to the exiled 
children of glory. The lines of care had 
not worn very deep into her face, for she 
was sure she should have strength day 
by day to fight with Want, and she looked 
confidently to something unspeakably 
better, when she, a true King’s daughter, 
should be lifted out of Wyant’s dominions 
and enter on her own broad inheritance. 
To be sure, you could see in this woman’s 
eyes a sorrow far deeper than any strug- 


FOUND DROWNED. 


9 


gle with Want can bring, but there are 
some sorrows that are like the heavy 
spring rains, softening and blessing where 
they fall. This woman — she was Mary 
Ware — had been made by her sorrows 
humble, tender, generous and sympathiz- 
ing. Mary’s companion was Miss Prussy 
Wiggins. Prussy was making vests, but 
Mary was stitching at boys’ overcoats. 

There were two windows in the room — 
one looking on Broome street, the other 
on Sullivan. The window opening on 
Broome street was the more desirable, 
and so Prussy had it. It is true that 
Mary hired the room, and Prussy only 
gave her a trifle weekly for the privilege 
of sitting in it ; but that made no differ- 
ence about the windows. Prussy de- 
manded the choice, and Mary had ac- 
quired a habit of giving up everything 
where giving up did not involve a moral 
wrong. 

It was April, and mild for the season, 


10 


THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


and both the windows were raised. 
Prussy had flung up hers with a bang, 
saying, “ If it’s as warm as this in April, 
we’ll be baked to death before summer is 
over.” Mary’s window went up more 
softly, and through her brain floated, like 
a fragment of song, “ For lo, the winter 
is past — the rain is over and gone ; the 
^ flowers appear on the earth, and the time 
of the singing of birds is come.” There 
were neither birds nor flowers near Mary 
Ware, but she had lived in the country, 
and she knew well how the daisies and 
buttercups were goldening the grass, the 
robin and the bluebird piping their roun- 
delays, and the blackbird shaking his 
scarlet epaulette and whistling to his 
mate. 

Philanthropists may suggest that for 
the flowers of meadow and roadside, fair 
and soulless, Mary had now, in the densely 
habited city, human flowers — flowers with 
souls. The suggestion may contain truth, 


FOUND DROWNED. 


11 


yet, as I remember Mary’s surroundings, 

I should say rather that she had about 
her human weeds^ and those of ill names. 
Looking from her window for a peep of 
blue sky and a whiff of air coming up 
Watts street from the Hudson, and possi- 
bly twisting into Sullivan before all its 
freshness w’as departed, Mary saw one 
of these human weeds, a poor thing left^ 
uncultured in the waste where it had been 
born, and thought by no one worth the 
gathering. There is many a so-called 
weed that a little nurture will transform 
into a lovely flower ; I have heard that 
even the despised mullein of the wayside, 
taken to a foreign conservatory and called 
the Velvet Plant, has been much ad- 
mired. 

To go soberly on with our history, 
Mary, looking out of her window, saw 
Rose Wishalow, a girl of twelve, with a 
baby in her arms as usual, coming along 
the narrow, rough sidewalk of Sullivan 


12 


THE NEW YOEK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


street, crying. Rose was dark-skinned, 
with uncombed black hair, a frock for 
ever ragged, bare feet, and with an assem- 
blage of fragments that had once been an 
apron tied about her waist. Mary had 
seen her many times, but never that she 
could remember without a baby in her 
arms. To-day the forlorn appearance of 
this wild Rose was increased by the tears 
that ran freely over her cheeks, making 
dingy, grimy tracks wherever they flowed. 

“What is the matter. Rose?” said 
Mary, fitting a collar to a spring over- 
coat. 

“I’ve been to Mrs. Wheeler’s for a 
loaf, an’ she wont let me have it without 
the money,” said Rose, concluding her 
statement with a little cry. 

, “ And hasn’t your mother any money?” 
asked Mary. 

“ No, ma’am. Old Jessup is dead, 
ma’am. When mam took her work home 
Sat’night, he was dead, and they did’nt 


FOUlfD DKOWNED. 


13 


give mam no pay, nor no more work, not 
till bisnis is settled ; and they ain’t going 
to have no more clothing store there. I 
never thought,” went on Rose, sobbing, 
“that I’d feel bad ’cause that old skinflint 
was dead, but I do, ’cause no work’s worse 
nor a little.” 

Here Prussy Wiggins, who scented gos- 
sip, whilst stitching on a silk vest, came 
to the window behind Mary and said, 
sharply, “ Well, just serves your mother 
right for working for Jessup. She might 
have known if he couldn’t cheat ’em any 
other way, he’d up and die.” 

“ But she couldn’t get work no other 
place,” said Rose. 

“Just as if Jessup’s was the only 
coarse- work store in town!” said Prussy, 
pricking through a yellow satin sprig 
with much emphasis. 

“ He wouldn’t give nobody as left him 
a character to work anywhere else,” said 
Rose. 


2 


14 


THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


“ Whatever did she go there for, in the 
first place?” said Prussy, biting off her 
thread. “ I work for Broadway stores. 
Sech folly, running down on to Catherine 
street to a twopenny store!” 

“ Folks has to work where they can ; 
everybody can’t make vests like as you, 
Miss Wiggins. I do truly b’lieve,” added 
Rose, rubbing her wet cheek with her 
unoccupied hand, “ that for every paid 
stitch that is to be sot in this city, there’s 
two poor women like mam ready to 
set it.” 

“ Pooh !” said Miss Wiggins, con- 
temptuously ; “what does the like of you 
know of ’rithmetic?” 

“ Mebby I don’t,” said Rose, smartly, 
“ of book ’rithmetic, but of sech as more 
mouths nor bread, and of fewer pennies 
than babies, I know right well.” 

“ And where’s your father?” demanded 
the vestmaker. 

“ He ain’t bin heard of this three days,” 


FOUND DROWNED. 


15 


said Rose. “ I can’t tell what we’re 
coming too. Mother sits like as she was 
struck all of a heap, and the baby hollers 
and t’other ones tight and cry. ’Pears 
like, Miss Ware, your ]3lace is jist a palace, 
and our’n is — I don’t know Avhat !” 

“All along of your mother being so do- 
less,” said Prussy Wiggins, tartly. 

“JN’ow don’t, Prussia,” said Mrs. Ware. 
“ I feel that it is my fault, forgetting my 
poor neighbors so. Rose, I’ll step up to 
your room with a pail of soup, and do you 
tell Mrs. Wheeler to give you a loaf to 
my account;” and Mary, taking from her 
scantily-supplied closet a basin of soup, 
put on her sun-bonnet and turned to the 
door. 

“It’s more than I’d do; folk as’ll never 
pay you back!” said Prussy. 

“But my Book tells me to do good, and 
lend, hoping for nothing again,” said 
Mary, going out. 

“Book, book, book!” sputtered Prussy. 


16 


THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


“It do beat all: stitch clay in and out, 
take care of a lazy lummox of a son, and 
give to every beggar about. She’ll come 
to the almshouse, mark my words!” cried 
Prussy, talking to nobody at all. “If 
ever she gets anything by sech a reckless 
course, my name ain’t Prussia Y. Wig- 
gins, or I’m mistaken, which I ain’t.” 

Here, through the Sullivan street win- 
dow, Miss Wiggins saw Rose going home 
in triumph with a loaf under one arm, 
and the baby munching a piece of the 
crust. 

Meanwhile, Mary Ware had climbed 
three pairs of stairs to Margaret Wisha- 
low’s room. Margaret sat on a backless 
chair, her arms clasped over her knees, 
and her head bowed upon them. Billy, 
a boy of ten, was marking zigzag lines on 
the dirty front window; Lizzie, two years 
younger than Billy, lay listlessly on the 
floor; and Derry, or Dermot, next young- 
est to the baby, jerked at the soiled frock 


FOUND DROWNED. 


17 


of his unheeding mother, uttering a steady, 
melancholy wail. Mary’s coming into 
the room was like a mild morning after 
a dreary night. Her kind, intelligent 
face, tidy clothing, and the hint of help 
in the pail she carried, brought such cheer 
that Derry stopped his wail, Billy turned 
from the window and Lizzie gained cour- 
age enough to sit up. 

“It is hard times with you, Margaret,” 
said the visitor, “but I’ve come to see 
what I could do to help you, as a neigh- 
bor should.” 

“You needn’t,” said Margaret, without 
lifting her head; “I never can pay you.” 

“That’s nothing,” said Mary; “my 
Book tells me to do to others as I’d want 
them to do to me, and I’m sure I’d want 
you to come when I got into a hard place. 
Besides, I know you’ll be able to do as 
much for me, and more; it is darkest just 
before the day. Cheer up, Margaret; 
you’ll see good days yet.” 

2 * B 


18 


THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


“JSTot I,” said Mai^garet. her voice 
smothered by lap and arms. “I’m out 
of work — not a penny, not a mouthful, 
Patrick’s not been home this four days. 
I’m just ready to send Billy for the poor- 
master.” 

At this the three children set up a fear- 
ful howl. 

“A full stomach,” said Mary, in homely 
phrase, “brightens the heart. Have you 
had dinner yet?” 

This question drew from Billy, “JS’o, 
mem, we ain’t ; nor no breakfus, nor 
nothin’.” 

“That w too bad,” said Mary, cheer- 
fully, “and the sooner we make it right 
the better. Get up a bit of fire, Billy ; 
and you, Lizzie, run for a pail of water ; 
the time ’ll seem shorter if you’re busy.” 

And as the two children ran to obey, 
encouraged by the prospect of something 
to eat, Mrs. Ware picked up Derry and 
set him on a chair, saying, “Come, now, 


FOUND DROWNED. 


19 


Derry; see his auntie clear up the room 
all nice, and soon he’ll have some soup.’^ 
And Mary opened the windows to ventilate 
the room, and began to sweep with a poor 
stump of a broom which she ferreted from 
a corner. Mary seemed the genius of 
order. It was marvelous to note how a 
few touches altered the forlorn abode. A 
swept floor and hearth, the poor bed- 
clothes shaken out and laid on the win- 
dow-sill to air and sun, the rickety table 
drawn out and dusted; and now, as Billy 
had made a fire and Lizzie brought a pail 
of water, Mary got the one cooking uten- 
sil from the closet — a pot not over-clean — 
Avashed it, poured in the soup and hung 
it in the firejDlace. Here Rose came in 
with the bread, and Mary’s presence re- 
strained the children from flying at it at 
once. 

“Take the baby, Lizzie,” said Maiy. 
“Rose, clear out that closet, like a good 
child, while I wash these dishes.” 


20 


THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


Then Mary, taking the family stock of 
crockery — a pitcher, two or three bowls, 
and a yellow pie-plate or so — washed them 
quickly, laid a newspaper on the table, 
set the dishes in order, broke the loaf 
into large pieces, one for each place, 
poured the steaming soup from the pot 
into the pitcher, and, bidding Billy bring 
up what seats were, to be had, called the 
hungry family to dinner. All this while 
poor Margaret had not looked up ; but 
now the savor of the soup, the glad voices 
of her children, and the hearty good-will 
of her neighbor won her to move to the 
table. Her eyes were swollen from weep- 
ing; her face was haggard and worn. 

“We will ask a blessing,” said Mary, 
as the eager children were ready to till 
their mouths. They stared quietly at 
her, while she, a woman of few, plain 
words, and mindful of the half-starvation 
before her, said: “For all thy mercy. 
Lord, make us thankful.” That was all. 


FOUND DROWNED. 


21 


She had heard her father say the same in 
her New England home when she was 
but a little child. 

“I’ll make the beds while you eat,” 
said Mary. She did not want to go home 
just then. She had somewhat to say to 
her neighbor, but was wise enough to 
wait until the woman was refreshed by 
a warm meal. Before making the beds, 
Mary washed the pot, filled it and put it 
over the fire. 

She made the beds with the exactness 
with which she did everything, spreading 
them smooth and straight. When every 
morsel of food had disappeared, Mary 
said to Bose, “Now, child, wash the 
dishes and table, clean up yon shelf and 
set things by nicely. Billy, my man, 
may be you could gather a bundle of 
chips where they’re building the store. 
Get some water in the basin, Lizzie, and 
have clean faces on Derry and the baby.” 
The children were quite ready to obey 


22 


THE NEW YORK BIBLE- AVOM AN. 


tlieir benefactress, and as they went at 
their several tasks, Mary sat down by 
the poor mother, who had dropped into 
her former ho^^eless attitude of despair 
and misery. 

“You’ve a sore burden, Margaret,” she 
said, “but you mustn’t give up to it. 
You must do what you can for your fam- 
ily, and I’ll try and help you find some 
work.” 

“There’s nothing to do,” groaned Mar- 
garet, “and no use trying.’’ 

“There’s plenty to do in this very 
room,” said Mary, firmly. “Rouse up, 
scrub your floor, wdndow and chairs, 
Avash your children and their clothes. 
It’s Bible doctrine, Margaret, to be faith- 
ful in little, if you look to being given 
much. It’s Bible doctrine, too, to be 
tidy. The apostle says, ‘Let all things 
be done decently and in order,’ and I 
take it it means in small things as Avell 
as in great.” 


FOUND DROWNED. 


23 


“It’s no use to try; I used to, once,” 
said Margaret. 

“It is duty to try,” said Mary; “it is 
your duty to the Lord, who made you. 
You’ll be happier yourself for trying; 
and look at these five children; you must 
rouse up for them.” 

“I can’t make ’em comfortable,” sighed 
the mother. 

“Make them as comfortable as you 
can^'' said Mary. “Now, do rouse up, 
neighbor; the Lord is trying you; he’ll 
remember mercy and do the right thing 
by you — see if he don’t. Never get the 
dumps and sit like that. Come, now; 
I’ll send you my scrub-brush and a cup 
of soft soap by Lizzie, and do you clean 
up here. Cleanliness is next to godliness. 
I’ll do my best to help you to some sew- 
ing.” 

“I can’t say no to yow,” said Mrs. 
Wish alow. 

“There, now, that’s right. Rouse up 


24 


THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


and do something, and you’ll feel better. 
The Lord calls some of his people in the 
furnace of affliction, and maybe he’s call- 
ing you so. You must do your duty by 
your children, and they’ll be your com- 
fort.” 

“I can’t look to that,” said Margaret; 
“they have a poor chance to be good.” 

“You must watch them and pray for 
them. Do your part right, neighbor. A 
good mother makes good children.” 

“Yot always,” said Mrs. Wishalow, 
quickly. 

“In the main it does,” said Maiy. 
“You needn’t let my case dishearten you. 
You don’t see where I failed, as I do. 
But I’ve got faith to hope still, for my 
God is a hearer of prayer. I’ll go home 
now, Margaret. I’m going to pray for 
you. Don’t you forget to pray.” 

“I’m sure I don’t know how,” said 
;Mrs. Wishalow, as Mary closed the door. 

To give away bread and soup was to 


FOUND DROWNED. 


25 


Mary giving till she felt it; to give her 
time .was of itself a great charity. For the 
hour ahe had spent with her distressed 
neighbor, Mary must sit up later that 
evening at her work. 

Prussy Wiggins knew all this, and did 
not scruple to express plainly that she 
thought Mary very silly. “Every one 
for himself,” said Prussy. 

“Did you hold that when you had the 
rheumatiz last winter?” asked Mary, 
quietly. 

“I said then, as I do now, I wouldn’t 
have done what you did. Wliat differ- 
ence did it make to you ? You might hev 
let me died, and you’d have this room to 
yourself now.” 

“ But not a clear conscience. My Bible 
says, ‘For as ye would that men should 
do to jovLj do ye even so to them ;’ and I 
try to practice it.” 

“It’s few persons as practices all they 
j^reaches, like you do. I practice 771^ 
3 


26 


THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


preaching, and that is, Look out for niim- 
her one.” 

“But which is happier?” asked Mary, 
mildly. 

“As for that,” said Prussia, “your 
lieart aches enough, I guess; but I’m 
mad all the time, and I -don’t think you 
are.” 

“IS’o,” said Mary; “and if you’d rest 
in the Lord and wait patiently for him, 
you wouldn’t be; that’s a powerful good 
prescription for quieting folks down, 
Prussy.” 

‘AVell, as to the patience, it ain’t to 
my mind,” said Miss Wiggins, tossing 
her head; “and my creed is, to stand up 
for one’s rights,” though whom Prussy 
meant to stand up against, or for what 
rights, it -was hard to tell. Mary made 
no reply. This was as much conversa- 
tion as ever passed between them at once. 
They were so totally unlike. Mary did 
not love to contradict, while to Prussv 


' FOUND DKOAVNED. 


27 


contradiction was meat anXl drink. The 
moments of the afternoon slipped one by 
one away. Prussy sewed as ever with 
much unnecessary energy, which resulted 
in breaking her thread frequently and 
exhausting her vitality. Mary’s move- 
ments were calm and diligent. It seemed 
to-day as if a blessing came on her fingers 
after her charity, for she quite made up 
for lost time, and, moreover, did not feel 
very tired. If she could have peeped 
into Mrs. Wishalow’s upper room, she 
would have seen quite a thorough scrub- 
bing and dusting going on, and by sunset 
the children in bed, and their clothes, 
newly washed, dangling on a line going 
from their back window to an adjacent 
chimney. 

At sunset, Mary and Prussia sewing 
still, a shadow fell through the Sullivan 
street window. Mary looked up and saw 
her next neighbor, Bridget Mulrooney. 
Mrs. Mulrooney’s own phrase for herself 


28 


THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


was that she was “a jewel of a woman.” 
She had a round, red face, a large frame, 
her hand had a man’s strength, her eyes 
twinkled with good-humor; they were 
blue eyes, and wore those golden specta- 
cles that see only the bright side of every- 
thing; her mouth was ever smiling broad- 
ly, but just now e^^es and mouth were 
toned down to suit the subject of her con- 
versation : “Och, Mistress Ware, have 
vees heard the news?” 

“No; I’ve heard no news,” said Maiy. 

“Charity help us! And ye did not 
know th.ere has been a man missino- this 

o 

several days?” 

“What is it?” asked Mary, quickly, 
dropping her work. 

“Well, he’s dead — found drownded!” 

“AYho?” gasped Mary. 

“Yes,” pursued Mrs. Mulrooney, stu- 
pidly, “drawn out of the water yesterday 
at the foot of Watts street, by dock Fortv, 

, but not recognized till to-day.” 


FOUND DROWNED. 


29 


“Who? who?” cried Mary, huskily, 
grasping at the sill of the window for 
support. But Bridget Mulrooney was 
too much of a gossip to see the misery 
she was causing, and kept on in her own 
way: “Yes, and — why, it’s queer you 
ain’t heard it! — they’re bringing him 
home — ” 

“Sj)eak out!” cried Prussy, who had 
come near to hear what was going on. 
“Can’t you see you’re killing the woman? 
If it’s any of her folk, say so and be done 
with it!” 

“ Her folks ! Why should it be her 
folks? Arrah, Miss Wiggins, didn’t I 
tell yees in the very beginning it was Pat 
Wishalow was found drownded at Num- 
ber Forty? Troth, if it was any of her 
folk, it’s not Bridget Mulrooney would be 
turning herself into a raven to come wid 
bad news.” 

Mary began to breathe more freely, 
and the color came slowly to her white 


30 


THE NEW YORK BIBLE- WOMAN. 


lips. Prussy filled a tin cup with water 
and handed it to her, saying, sharply, 

“ There, drink that, and don’t be a dunce. 
Goodness knows there might things 

happen than — ” She shook her head 

emphatically and went back to her seat. 
Prussia certainly cared more for !Mary 
Ware than for any one else, herself ex- 
cepted. Bridget Mulrooney might have 
killed any other person with her ill-told * 
news before she would have interfered. 

“As I was tollin’ yees. Mistress Ware, 
Pat was drawn out of the water yester- 
day, and none knew him; but his brother 
Mike recognized him a bit ago, going in 
by chance like, and he’s having him 
broug’ht home, and he’s going to wake 
him and give him a funeral. Indeed, to 
my mind its just nonsense to feast and 
yelp like wild Injins over a dead' man, 
while day in and out his children are in 
want of bread. His riverence will come 
wid his prayers, and he’ll squaze out 


FOUND DROWNED. 


31 


what money he can from Mike or the 
widely for masses for him that is dead 
and gone, and the livin’ may starve or 
steal — it’s all one to him. I’m no Cath- 
olic, Mistress Ware, for reasons like this. 
Says I, What sinse in saying masses to 
get Pat Wishalow out of piiry^?^ry? 
Shure he couldn’t live in heaven above 
widout his whisky -jug, and neither the 
Holy Virgin nor the angels could abide 
him wid it, he was that conthrary ^ 
Whist, now! I must get in me door; 
here they come 1” 

Mrs. Mulrooney hastened away, and 
Mary saw, followed by a troop of ragged 
children, gazed on by curious eyes, borne 
by six men, most of them the worse for 
liquor, and preceded by the priest and 
Mike Wishalow, a pine coffin covered 
with a black cloth. She well knew what 
ghastly sjDectacle lay shut within that 
coffin -lid, and her heart gave a wild throb 
as she thanked God the bearers were not 


32 THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


to stop at her door. 'On went the men 
with their burden of death, up the creak- 
ing stairs to the room where wife and 
children, just knowing the chilling news, 
Avere waiting, awed and horror-stricken, 
to receive them. Later, about ten o’.clock, 
when Prussy had climbed to her attic 
and Mary Avas closing the day with a 
verse from her Bible, her trouble came 
home — a tall, strong man, staggering 
with drink. Mary Ware took his arm 
and helped him to a cot in a recess ; took 
off his shoes, unloosed his neck-band, 
smoothed his hair, and sobbed, above his 
drunken sleep, “ My son ! my son !” 


CHAPTER II. 


JUBIjE MARY, 



ICHAEL WISHALOW called in 
his neighbors to hold a wake in 


true Irish style. It had been very 
^ little to him whether his sister-in- 
law and her children froze or starved; 
just as little whether his brother lived or 
died ; but now, that he was dead, it was 
necessary to the family credit that he 
should be duly “ waked.” Mike was a 
teamster. He had wages and credit 

enough for the requisite bread, meat, 
cheese and whisky, and these he or- 
dered. Clothes were borrowed for the 
little Wishalows ; the coffin was laid on 
the bed, covered with a sheet, and at 
each corner was stuck a tallow candle. 
Ilis Reverence the priest was sent for. 

3 C 33 


34 


THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


He had never before this darkened the 
door of these pauper Wishalows. JN^ow, 
scenting a funeral fee and masses for 
the dead, he came, bringing a cross to 
stand at the coffin's head, and a vial of 
holy water. 

To see enough of good, hearty food was 
such a matter of rejoicing to the father- 
less family that they almost forgot they 
had any mourning to do. The whisky 
these children had learned to hate, but 
they ate ravenously ; and not until, for 
once, they had had “ all they wanted,” 
did they remember that their father had 
been drowned, and would next morning 
be buried. 

Margaret Wishalow sat apart. She 
could not eat. Her heart sickened at the 
miserable revel^ about her. In her 
youth living with a refined and culti- 
vated family, she had learned something 
better than the wild doings of these mis- 
erable days. When her children had 


BIBLE MARY. 


35 


eaten all they could, they stole close to 
their mother’s side. As one and another 
neighbor pressed into the room, it be- 
came greatly crowded ; and from frequent 
l)otations every voice rose louder and 
more unmeaning. Margaret took her 
babe in her arms and Lizzie by the 
hand;. Rose lifted sleepy little Derry, 
and unheeded they left the room. 

They had nowhere to go, but went 
wearily down stairs and out into the 
street ; dimly lighted and narrow, it 
offered them no refuge. The stars shone 
clearly, and the night air was chill. 
Margaret drew back and sat down on the 
lowest step of the staircase. She pulled 
her skirt up to cover her babe, and Rose 
sat down beside her, holding Derry. 
Lizzie and Billy crouched before their 
mother, close together for warmth, and 
soon all the little group were sleeping 
save the mother, who, with burning head 
and aching in every limb, leaned against 


36 


tiip: new yoek biele-woman. 


the wall and counted the slow niiiiutes as 
they passed along. At last a robust fig- 
ure filled the entrance. “Wliy, what’s 
all this?” cried a mellow voice. 

“It’s me and the children,” said Mar- 
garet. 

“Saints above! And why are yees 
here?” 

“It’s over full and noisy up stairs,” 
said Margaret. 

“Troth, thin, and if this waking isn’t 
the doleful business — turnin’ out the livin’ 
to riot round the dead! I’m afther me 
Terence, or he’ll make a noodle of him- 
self wid drink. It’s toime he was in bed. 
These childer’ll ketch their death, uncov- 
ered here; and whin all these riotin’ rap- 
scallions are done wid their row, they’ll 
just run over yees. Come up to the top 
hall, out ov the way, and I’ll lend ye me 
shawl, and get a quilt for ye out of yer 
room, and ye can sleep suitable. I’ll 
carry Derry and lead Lizzie. Shure, I’m 


BIBLE MARY. 


37 


sorry for ye, sluire as me name is Bridget 
Mulrooney !” 

Mrs. Mulrooney settled her friends in 
a corner of the upper hall, then entered 
the room of the rioters, and soon reap- 
peared, dragging her husband by the 
arm. “Let me be, Bridget,” said he, 
pulling away. 

“It’s not for yer good, jewel,” said 
Bridget, ' blithely. “It’s over late, and 
you’re coming home. Och, honey, what 
a throuble ye are to me! Have done 
jerking, now! It’s meself can hold 
sthronger nor ye can pull. Troth, it 
ain’t Bridget Mulrooney is going to leave 
ye here drinking when ye ought to be in 
bed, sleepin’ dacently. Come on, now; 
it’s meself must make a sober man of ye, 
nilly nolly, as his worship the judge says. 
Lift yer fut and come on, now!” And 
to this music of Bridget’s exhortations to 
her recreant husband, Margaret fell asleep. 

Early dawn roused her, and she en- 


38 THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. ' 

tered lier room. It was in dire disorder. 
Her sister-in-law, with a basket on her 
arm, was gathering up the fragments of 
the feast to carry away. “Me man paid 
for it, and I’ll have it, Margaret. 
Couldn’t ye show enough respict to him 
that’s gone as to bide here and wake 
him ?” 

“JMo, I could not,” said Margaret, 
shortly. 

“And can ye act enough like a Chris- 
tian to go to the funeral? Shure, me 
man has paid for three hacks, and ye 
an’ the bye can go in one ov em wid us, 
for the sake of looks.” 

“ Yes, I’ll go. What time will it be?” 
said Margaret. 

“Nine o’clock it is, so good-day to yees. 
Afther this, as him that related us is dead 
and gone, we’ll be no more relatives at 
all.” 

By this remark the other Mrs. Wisha- 
low thought to set herself free from any 


BIBLE MARY. 


39 


responsibility for aiding her brother-in- 
law’s destitute family. She went away. 
]\[argaret looked drearily about at her 
breakfastless children, her disordered 
room, at the bed with its fearful burden, 
the covers all tossed by the night’s revel- 
ers, and little piles of tallow where the 
candles had sputtered and guttered them- 
selves away. The children felt afraid, 
and cowered whining in a corner. It 
was just sunrise, and the stir in the street 
had but begun. The door opened quietly, 
and Bridget Mulrooney looked in ; then 
entered, carrying a pitcher of steaming- 
tea and a loaf of bread. “Shure, .I must 
make uj) to yees what me man ate last 
night,” she said. 

“It was none of my victuals,” replied 
Margaret. 

“Don’t I know ye’re cold and aching 
from lying curled up in that- hall the 
night? I darn’t lie awake for fear I’d 
think of yees! Bring sonie water, Billy, 


40 


THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


that ye may wash and comb all of yees, 
and take a bite of breakfast.” 

But now came in another guest, even 
Mary Ware. Her son was yet asleep. 
She had her simple preparations for 
breakfast made, and now came out to do 
good. “You’ve come to a poor place,” 
said Margaret, glancing about uneasily. 

“My Book tells me,” said Mary, “that 
it is better to go to the house of mourn- 
ing than the house of feasting. Perhaps 
I can do you good here.” And as she 
spoke she soothed Lizzie by j)atting her 
head, lifted Dermot into the sunshine by 
the window, and, turning to the bed, with 
a few reverent, gentle touches, made all 
neat and smooth ; carried away the bat- 
tered tin candlesticks, scraped off the 
grease; and Bridget Mulrooney having- 
got the family at their breakfast, Mary 
swept the^room. 

Margaret sat looking sadly toward the 
Ded. The tears slowly dropped over her 


BIBLE MARY. 


41 


cheeks. “It’s a mourning place enough,” 
she said, repl3dng to Mary’s last remark. 

“By sorrow of the countenance the 
spirit is made better,” said Mary, gently. 
“May the Lord send it so with you.” 

“Dear knows!” mourned Margaret; “I 
didn’t look for this when I left a good 
place at service to be married.” ’ 

“Well,” said Mary, “the Lord leads 
us by a way we know not. To be plain 
with you, neighbor, you’ve tried to set up 
your house without the Lord, and you’ve 
come to naught. JN'ow, the Lord has laid 
on you the care of five fatherless children. 
Do you try a new plan; say, ‘We will 
serve the Lord,’ and tell the good Father 
of all that his presence must go with you 
day by day.” 

“Oh, Mrs. Ware,” groaned Margaret, 
“I’m all in the dark.” 

“Well, neighbor,” said Mary, simply 
but wisely, “you are all over done. 
Drink the tea and try and calm down a 


42 THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 

J 

bit, and we’ll find a time to talk by and 
by.” 

At half-past nine the hearse and its 
attendant hacks had moved away from 
the door of the tenement-house, and Rose 
was left alone with the three younger 
children. The poor girl sat rocking the 
baby and helplessly crying, when the 
door opened and a little visitor came 
in — a child with a wise face and great 
dark eyes, with hair half gold, half au- 
burn, carefully combed out and falling 
in shining ripples about her shoulders. 
Alas! the child was humpbacked. She 
was very neatly dressed in a lilac calico, 
and wore shoes and hose. Rare elegance 
of dress, that, in Sullivan street. She 
stole up to Rose and put an arm about 
her, and patted her wet cheek. “ Poor 
thing! your father is dead. I’m so sorry 
for you! Here; I bought two cakes with 
my penny for the babies, and Lizzie shall 
have my little doll;” and she drew the 


BIBLE MARY. 


43 


treasure from the folds of her dress. “I 
h ain’t nothing for you, Rose, only I’m so 
sorry for you;” and xshe bowed her wise 
face on Rose’s shoulder and wept with 
her. 

This little comforter was Bridget Mul- 
rooney’s idol, her only child. Bridget 
soon came after her: “Are you here, 
Angel, wid your wise, comfortin’ ways? 
Good luck go wid ye! Here, cheer up 
the childer out in the entry wid yer talk, 
while Rose and me clears up this room 
they waked into the like of a pen a well- 
mannered pig would be ashamed of. Set 
a fire, Rose; here is me irons, and I’ll 
smooth up yesterday’s washin’, and bring 
water to make all decent. The mother 
will need a place to rest in.” 

Sure enough, the mother needed a rest- 
ing-place. About one o’clock she stag- 
gered in, faint fro>m weariness, left to 
walk home from the distant graveyard, 
dragging Billy by the hand. She 


44 


THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


dropped upon the bed and closed her 
eyes, indifferent to the baby’s crying, to 
Derry’s demands for food and to the pet- 
ulant -talk of Lizzie. Poor creature! she 
was worn out with trouble, too discour- 
aged to hope or try for better things. 

A kind eye had seen her going home. 
Mary Ware was not weary in well-doing. 
She saw that very much was wrong with 
the new-made widow, and, despite Prus- 
sy’s strictures, she left her work and fol- 
lowed her to her room. By the help of 
Bose she removed Margaret’s clothing, 
covered her with a quilt, put newspapers 
before the windows to darken the room, 
bathed the invalid’s hot face and hands, 
smoothed her hair, and then bade the 
children go off for the afternoon and let 
their mother sleep. 

“A pretty waste of working-hours !” 
snapped Prussy. 

‘*I did it for Christ’s sake,” said Mary, 
meekly. 


BIBLE MAllY. 


45 


f It has often been remarked that in the 
city one may know nothing of the weal 
or woe of his nearest neighbor. This is 
true of the middle and upper classes of 
society, but not of the lower. All along 
Sullivan street, from Spring to Canal, 
the denizens of the tenant-houses knew 
of Margaret Wishalow and her troubles. 
The last item of news, that she was sick 
on her bed, brought out little knots of 
neighbors to discuss her affairs on the 
doorsteps. They knew just how many 
clothes the Wishalow family possessed, 
how long the children had been shoeless; 
they could tell you to a penny how much 
Margaret was paid for her work, how 
much she earned in a week, and how 
long since she had been paid anything; 
they divined from their own biting ex- 
periences exactly the financial crisis that 
had overtaken the Wishalow common- 
wealth. There were many severe strict- 
ures upon Margaret’s conduct. 


46 


THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


“She might have kept her children to 
Avork,” said one. 

“She let her man rob her of every 
cent,” said another. 

“She’s got no ambition,” said a third; 
“gives right up.” 

“JN’o Avonder,” replied a red-nosed avo- 
man; “she never took a drop of the cray- 
thur to kape her heart up.” 

Mrs. McElhaney — Avho sold coal in 
small, almost infinitesimal quantities, 
to suit her neighbors’ pecuniary ability — 
asserted that Margaret Avas “tAvinty cints 
in her debt, the Avhich she Avas a fool for 
alloAving, and would let no more go Avith- 
out money down ; that Avas her motto — 
yes, indeed!” 

“True enough!” cried Mrs. Wheeler, 
the keeper of a foul den she called a gro- 
cery, but Avhich would more truly be 
Ccilled a groggery. Whisky had ex- 
panded Mrs. Wheeler as much as it had 
shriveled Mrs. McElhaney. “True as 


BIBLE MARY. 


47 


preaching! She owes me fifty cents — 
fifty cents for bread. Only she’d always 
j)aid her dues before, I’d not have trusted 
her; no, nor won’t inoi^l” 

A more gracious conclave gathered 
near Mary Ware’s window. Bridget 
Mulrooney drove a very good business 
in baking and cooking for several keep- 
ers of street eating-stalls. She had filled 
her oven, made her fire to her mind, and 
now, followed by her little girl, came, 
down to talk to Mary. Bridget’s whole 
love and care centred on her child. The 
little one’s misfortune but made her more 
precious in her mother’s eyes. Angeline 
she had named her, but in fond adora- 
tion called her Angel. 

Mary was very busy, but she could use 
her tongue and ears while her fingers 
were occupied. Mrs. Mulrooney was not 
empty-handed, but was knitting hose for 
a store up town. As soon as Prussia 
Wiggins heard the sound of Bridget’s 


48 


THE NEW YORK BIBLE- WOMAN. 


voice, she walked across the room and 
stood behind Mrs. Ware’s chair. Few 
people stopped to talk by Prussia’s win- 
dow; and, loving dearly to hear news and 
speak sharp words, she always stood near 
Mary when people were talking in Sulli- 
van street. Prussia was tall, and could 
sew about as well standing as sitting. 
She generally kept her button-holes to 
make when she was hearing gossip. To 
hear Prussia and any one else talking 
was like watching a one-sided game of 
graces. Somebody threw observation or 
information at her like a grace-hoop, and 
she, like a player who could do but one 
thing, caught it •on a tart reply, as one 
catches the hoop on a stick. 

“Come, now. Mistress Ware,” cried 
Bridget, having duly reached her seam- 
needle, “what ever shall we do for Mar- 
garet? We can’t let the poor body go to 
ruin with her childer.” 

“Send for the poormaster and have her 


BIBLE MARY. 


49 


took to the hospital,” said Prussia de- 
cisively. 

“I was not axin’ you,” said Bridget, 
impolitely. 

“You got a sensible answer, all the 
same,” retorted Prussy. 

“But,” chimed a small voice, “what 
would the little children do without their 
mother?” 

“True for ye, Angel. What would 
they now?” said Mrs. Mulrooney. 

“If Margaret went to the hospital, 
now, and her children were scattered, she 
might never get them together again,” 
began Mary. 

“A good riddance,” observed Prussia. 

“No, Prussia,” said Mary, in her usual 
mild tone. “My Book says well that a 
mother cannot forget her children. Now, 
what else has Margaret to cheer her?” 

“Cheer?” interrupted Prussia; “rather 
to help her on to starvation!” 

“That won’t be, I believe,” said Mary. 

5 D 


50 


THE NEW YOEK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


“The Bible says, ‘He shall save the chil- 
dren of the needy;’ and, ‘Leave thy 
fatherless children with me; I will pre- 
serve them alive.’ I can’t believe in 
breaking these ties of the Lord’s making. 
All Margaret needs is a little rest, a little 
help and a chance of work; then she’ll 
take courage and do well by herself and 
her children. To see them growing up a 
decent, kind, industrious family together, 
will be better than seeing them scattered 
like ajiest of young birds.” 

“You won’t see them growing up de- 
cent, kind and industrious,” persisted 
Prussia. 

Mary would not argue, but replied, 
“Well, I can only fall back on the com- 
mand to do as I’d be done by.” 

“Rose can take care of her mother and 
the baby, and I’ll mind Derry,” said little 
Angel, who was eleven years old. Her 
mother had made an excursion to look 
after her baking, and now took up the 


BIBLE MARY. 


51 


subject: “Yes, I’ll see afther Derry if me 
Angel says so, that I Avill; and Kose can 
tend tbe mother, and we’ll put Billy and 
Lizzie to work — ” 

“A sight of work they’ll do!” said 
Prussia. 

“And we’ll all try to do a bit for Mar- 
garet, and I’ll see the poormaster and find 
if he’ll not help her a little at home,” said 
Mary. 

“And I’ll see him too, and tell him to 
take her to the hospital and put out the 
children, as ought to be done, and not 
have them living on what they never 
earned,’^ said Prussia, tartly. 

Bridget Mulrooney’s eyes blazed at 
once. “We ask no help of you,” she 
cried. “Do that if you dare! I’ll set 
every man, woman, child and dog in all 
this neighborhood on yees.” 

Prussia slunk to her seat abashed. 

“Mother, I’ll go tell Lizzie and Billy 
how they must try to work and help their 


52 


THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


mother,” said Angeline; “and I’ll bring 
Derry along to be our boy for a while. 
JN'ow, Mrs. Ware, won’t 1 be doing good, 
just as you told me?” 

“Yes, bless you!” said Mary. “You’re 
a gracious child, if ever there was one.” 
The last part of her remark was made to 
herself. Bridget Mulrooney undertook 
to instruct Rose in the part assigned her, 
and to ask a cobbler’s wife, the magnate 
of their vicinity, if she would give the 
Wishalows a little aid. 

Through all the afternoon’s talk there 
had run a single word of undertone — 
“Jessup.” 

“All comes of working for Jessup,” 
said Mrs. Mulrooney. 

“Starved on Jessup’s wages,” said the 
cobbler’s wife. 

“We trust none who work for Jessup,” 
cried the firms of Wheeler and McElha- 
ney. 

“Jessup,” quoth Prussia, smartly, “un- 


BIBLE MARY. 


53 


derstoocl one thing mentioned in the Bi- 
ble : he knew well how to grind the f^ces 
of the poor.” 

“Dear, dear!” said Mary. “The love 
of money is the root of all evil. Only to 
think how for love of money so much 
misery has come from Jessup!” 

Meanwhile Jessup’s store was closed. 
His executors were settling the estate he 
had coined from blood and tears, from 
hunger, cold and weary sighing. Laid 
away in a corner of Greenwood, no near 
relative to mourn him, no bosom friend 
left to know what little had been good in 
him — the restless feet, the clutching 
hands, the hard face, the cold, keen eyes, 
that had held the crafty, cruel soul, and 
been called Jessup, mouldered hour by 
hour away. 

It is nearly evening. Angel has taken 
Derry into her charge and given him a 
clean skin, and then bread and molasses 
to comfort his inner and smear his outer 


54 


THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


man. She has roused Billy to some de- 
sires to earn money like folks, find wood, 
and succor the family generally; but, 
alas! has instilled into Lizzie’s mind no 
higher idea than that there are more 
ways to earn money for candy and penny 
sights than had been dreamt of in her 
philosophy heretofore. 

And now along Broome street came 
one, kind of face and plain of garb, whom 
every ragged urchin in the street instinct- 
ively proclaimed a lady. She half paused 
before Prussia’s window, lowered her 
white-lined parasol and looked in. 

Prussia looked out and looked defiance. 
She had never seen this lady before; but 
every well-dressed person Prussia reso- 
lutely regarded as her foe, and this 
stranger’s gray dress was of shining lus- 
tre, and she had French rosebuds in her 
bonnet. Prussia’s look caused the lady 
slowly to raise the parasol until its white 
tassels swung above her head again, and 


BIBLE MARY. 


55 


she moved on. She turned the corner as 
one in doubt, then looked into, a window; 
and here the calm face of Mary Ware 
bent over a boy’s coat, patient and trust- 
worthy as if she were mother of half the 
world. Mary saw the lady stop, and 
looked out, inviting confidence. 

“Is there a woman near here named 
Wishalow?” 

“Yes, ma’am; two doors by, third 
floor, left hand.” 

“Is her name Margaret?” 

“Yes, madam.” 

“She is in trouble? Her husband is 
drowned?” 

“Yes, madam; and she has five small 
children, and is sick and very poor.” 

“Oh! Do you think she would mind 
seeing almost or quite a stranger?” 

Prussia, as a matter of course, w^as 
glaring out from behind Mary. Mary 
replied: “She would be glad to see any 
one who is sorry for her, I’m sure.” 


56 


THE NEW YOKE BIBLE-WOMAN. 


‘‘Thank you; I’ll go and see her.” 
The lady moved on. 

“Bless her heart! she has a good, true 
look,” said Mary, whose soul held a ben- 
ediction for every one. 

Prussia drew a long breath of astonish- 
ment at the subject of the conversation 
held by the stranger,. and said: “’Sakes!” 
To this brilliant remark Mary made no 
reply. So overcome was Miss Wiggins 
with curiosity that, vest in hand and 
needle flying, she followed the lady to 
Mrs. Wishalow’s room. 

Many families in this poor neighbor- 
hood lay under the ban of Jessup. They 
had worked for his store in Catherine 
street, and he had ruthlessly ground 
down their wages. This lady, fair of 
face and true of heart, was, strange to 
say, a link between these victims of 
starvation prices and Jessup, whose gold 
had been scattered at his grave’s mouth, 
and he carried captive into another world. 


BIBLE MARY. 


57 


The lady toiled up the stairs of the 
tenant-house. They were darker and 
steeper than she had been used to. 

Rose had come into the room, laid the 
baby in his cradle, and stood at the foot 
of the bed looking at her mother help- 
lessly. Rose thought she ought to do 
something, she knew not what. There 
was a knock at the door. “Come in,” 
said Rose, dolefully, then stared, open- 
mouthed. Margaret lay very quietly. 
Rose felt as if she were not asleep, but 
her eyes were closed. “Is this Mrs. 
Wishalow’s?” asked the lady. Behind 
her loomed Prussia Wiggins making 
button-holes. 

“Here’s Miss Wishalow,” said Rose 
the illiterate. 

The lady paused, looked closely at the 
woman on the bed. “Margaret!” she 
said; “my ^oor Margaret, can this be 
you?” 

Margaret Wishalow roused up a little, 


68 


THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


returned the lady’s gaze, her dull eye 
lighted with recognition. “ Oh, Miss 
Agnes ! Miss Agnes !” she sobbed, and 
was silent. 

Rose was not ignorant of that name. 
She knew that Miss Agnes was in some 
sort her mother’s patron saint, yet very 
flesh and blood. If here was Miss Ag- 
nes, here then was help, was friend, com- 
fort, hope, a fairy land of goodly possi- 
bilities. Rose took courage ; became au- 
dacious ; the evil of her nature, as is our 
fallen wont, asserted itself before the 
good. Prussia Wiggins stood, button- 
holing, just without the door-sill. Rose 
walked up, saying plumply, “ IS’obody 
axed you here,” and shut the door in her 
face. 

The door opened, and Prussia walked 
inside, replying to Rose, “S’pose you 
didn’t, who cares?” 

Meanwhile the lady held the sick wo- 
man’s hand, saying, “ How glad I am I 


BIBLE MARY. 


59 


found you, Margaret ! Let me help you 
as I did in old times.” 

“ Miss,” sobbed Margaret, “ see what 
I’ve come to ! . Oh, if I’d never left your 
house !” 

“ You are discouraged, Margaret,” said 
the visitor, gently; “you have these;” 
and her eyes wandered to the small head 
in the cradle and Rose near at hand. 

“It’s a. drear world they’ve got into; 
better for them they’d never seen it,” said 
Margaret, half aloud. 

“That’s sound sense for once,” said 
Prussia, quick of ear. 

“ Your children shall be your best 
blessings, Margaret. How many have 
you?” said the lady, cheerfully. 

“ Five. There was another girl, less 
than Lizzie. I named her after you, 
miss, asking j^ardon ; but she died a wee 
babe. She’s better off than these.” 

We will admit that, glancing at the 
poverty-pinched faces and bare, dreary 


60 


THE NEW YORK BIBLE- WOMAN. 


room, the lady felt glad that her name- 
sake’s little lifeboat had glided soon into 
harbor, instead of struggling, like these 
others with so turbulent a tide. 

Mrs. Wishalovv noticed the hasty 
glance about the room. “We’re very 
poor, miss,” she whispered. “ There’s 
naught left of all you gave me for outset 
thirteen years gone.” 

“ Tell me all about it, Margaret ; how 
has it come?” 

“ It’s easy told,” broke in Prussia. 
“ Her husband drank like a fish — only 
he took to whisky instead of water — and 
she worked for Jessup: tw^o things which 
is enough to ruin a crown prince.” 

“ Jessup ?” 

“ Jessup it is,” retorted Prussia ; “ a 
beggarly skinflint on Catherine street, 
grinding down poor folks and selling 
clothes. ‘ Fashionable Tailor ’ he hangs 
out on his sign-board; and if it’s fashion- 
able to rob the poor — and like it is ! — he 


BIBLE MARY. 


61 


was fashionable enough. Five cents for 
a flannel shirt, ten cents for overalls, 
and found! There, now ; wouldn’t a rat 
starve on that, let alone feeding five 
mouths ?” 

“Oh, Margaret! I wish I had known 
this before ; and now you need every- 
thing. Speak freely to me. I’m your 
friend.” 

“Yes, Miss Agnes ; but belike you 
ain’t Miss Agnes now ?” 

“ Ever that to you, Margaret. Tell 
me all.” 

“ I don’t know where to begin,” said 
Mrs. Wishalow. 

“ Father’s dead, drownded, waked, 
buried,” said Rose, like an auctioneer 
reading a catalogue. 

“ I know it ; I saw the name in the 
paper ; that brought me here. It is not 
a common name.” 

“/ never heard it before,” said Miss 
Wiggins. 


62 


THE NEW YORK BIBEE-WOMAN. 


“ We ain’t got no money,” said Rose, 
more interested, ‘-nor no clothes, nor no 
work; and mother’s in debt;” saying the 
last words as if oppressed by a mighty 
burden. 

“In debt? And how much?” asked 
the lady. 

“ Why,” said Rose, holding up her 
forefinger and inspecting it, “there’s fifty 
cents to Mrs. Wheeler ;” then holding up 
her middle finger, “ there’s twenty cents 
to Mrs. McElhaney.” 

“ Is that all ? That is easy paid,” said 
the visitor. 

“ Hum !” grunted Miss Wiggins, “ ‘ is 
that all?’ It takes some time to earn 
seventy cents from Jessup; and it is all, 
’cause poor folks knows better nor to 
trust poor folks.” 

The guest was in a quandary. She 
saw that judicious aid was immediately 
needed, but Margaret seemed utterly list- 
less and could suggest nothing. Prussia 


BIBLE MAEY. 


63 


was evidently everybody’s enemy — next 
person to him who is nobody’s enemy 
but his own. Rose was voluble, but 
ignorant. 

“ I wish I knew some one who could 
tell me what to do to help you best; 
somebody who could look after you a 
little.” The lady was unused to dealing 
with the city poor. 

“ Better send for Bible Mary,” sug- 
gested Rose. 

Prussia bit off her thread, shook out 
her vest and flounced out of the room. 
The lady had ignored her until even 
curiosity could not endure it. 

“ Send for Mary,” said Mrs. Wisha- 
low, and dropped into apathy. Rose 
darted otf ; the baby cried, and the lady 
took him up, sighing over the meagre 
face and pinched arms, so diflerent from 
the chubby, dimpled ones that awaited 
her at home. She looked relieved when, 
coming in with Rose, she saw the kindly 


64 


THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


woman who had spoken to her at the 
corner window on Sullivan street. 

“ Here she is,” said Rose, ignorant of 
introductions. 

“You are the Bible- woman of this dis- 
trict?” said the lady. 

“No, madam ; I do not know what 
that is ; it ought to be something very 
good, from the name.” 

“I thought the little girl said you were 
a Bible-woman.” 

“I’m Rose. I called her ‘Bible Mary,’ 
’cause she’s alius a-reading it and preach- 
ing it.” 

“ My name is Mrs. Warren,” said the 
lady. “ Margaret, here, lived five years 
in my mother’s family, and left us when 
she was married. I lost sight of her un- 
til I saw her husband’s death mentioned 
in the paper, and recognized the name. 
I want to do all I can to help her and 
make her comfortable, and I want you to 
tell me how I can do it, for you are more 


BIBLE MARY. 


65 


acquainted with these matters than I 
am.” 

Mary Ware hesitated a moment. 

“ Never mind the money ; speak out,” 
said the lady. 

“ Then, ma’am, she is only discouraged 
and worn out. A full cupboard and fuel- 
box, a little money on hand and a prom- 
ise of work wdll cure her up, and God 
bless you for your goodness !” 

“ Margaret,” said the lady, brightly, 
“have you lost your old skill at the 
wash-tub?” 

“ I guess not,” said Margaret, faintly. 

“ Get well, then, in a hurry ; for I ap- 
point you my washerwoman weekly at a 
dollar a day, and I can find you three 
other places at seventy-five cents a day. 
You need not be wearing out your life at 
slop-sewing. Cheer up, now ; I want to 
hear you singing over my tubs as you 
did over my mother’s. Here, Rose ; run 
pay that seventy cents of debt you men- 

6 * E 


66 


THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


tioned, and buy candles with all the 
change. May I ask your name?” she 
said to Mary, politely as to a queen. 

“ Mary Ware, ma’am.” 

“Now, Mrs. Ware, I’m going to order 
our patient a dose of tea and beefsteak, 
and I’ll trouble you to see it prepared. I 
shall come here another day. I must see 
all your children next time, Margaret, 
and I shall bring this little fellow some 
new clothes. Mrs. Ware, could you go a 
few blocks with me to bring back some 
things I shall buy for Margaret ? It is 
time I was going home.” 

“ Yes, indeed, ma’am,” said Mary, 
heartily. 

Mrs. Warren laid the baby beside its 
mother. As she bent down she said, 
gently, “Margaret, do you read your 
Bible yet?” 

“ It is lost. Miss Agnes,” said Marga- 
ret, in a whisper. 

“Do you not remember there is only 


BIBLE MARY. 


67 


one sure Refuge in time of trouble? 
Will you not call on the Lord?” 

“You have brought back the past, 
miss,” said Margaret, still clinging to 
the old-time title. “ I’ll try ; I will.” 

Together Mrs. Warren and Mary went 
along the street. “You must do what 
you can for Mrs. Wishalow,” said the 
lady, “ and I will pay you.” 

“ I’ll help her all I can, willingly.” 

“And I believe you can minister to her 
soul as well as to her body,” said Mrs. 
Warren. 

“ I can tell her what the Lord has 
taught me,” said Mary. 

“That is the best of teaching; go to 
her with that,” said the lady. 


CHAPTER III. 


THE MISEIt>S MONEY, 

Mrs. M^arren was making 
j l her purchases, Mary Ware stood 
quietly by the store door looking 
^ into the street. Certainly the sight 
of so many things which stern poverty 
forced her to deny herself, but which 
were necessary to her comfort, nearly 
tempted her to covetousness; but she 
strove to say for herself, The will of 
the Lord be done,” and to be thankful 
that Margaret was to be supplied with 
all she needed. In a short time Mrs. 
Warren approached her, and the clerk 
handed Mary a large wicker basket filled 
with parcels. The lady and the seam- 
stress stepped upon the pavement. 
“This,” said Mrs. Warren, touching 
68 


THE miser's money. 


69 


the topmost and largest package, “you 
will accept for yourself; and here,” she 
added, as she held out a folded bill, “ is 
a trifle that you must keep also.” 

“By no means, madam,” said Mary. 
“ I do not deserve or expect such kind- 
ness from a stranger.” 

“You silrely will not deprive me of 
the privilege of giving you this?” said 
the lady, with a winning smile. “ The 
Lord has promised to repay me. And 
if I depend on you to care a little for 
Margaret, I cannot take your time with- 
out payment, for your time is your 
money.” 

“ When I can give nothing else, mad- 
am,” said Mary, “ I may give my time 
to a needy neighbor.” 

“ In some other case give it, then,” 
said the lady; “but if you will still refuse 
my ofier, I must go back and cook Mar- 
garet’s supper myself, though it is grow- 
ing into twilight.” 


70 


THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


“Thank you, then,” said Mary, frankly, 
taking the money. “You have an art 
that is rare, madam ; you know how to 
give so that it is a pleasure to receive.” 

Mrs. Warren saw a car coming that 
she wished to take. “ I will call on you 
to-morrow,” she said; “here, buy Mrs. 
Wishalow fuel with this dollar. Grood-'^ 
night;” and she stepped into the car, 
wondering much at Mary’s dignity and 
refinement ; while Mary went on to Mrs. 
Wishalow’s, bought fuel, put the chil- 
dren to bed, cooked supper, and withal 
comforted the widow’s heart by so many 
wise and good words that they were bet- 
ter to her than medicine. 

At last Mary went to her own room. 

“A pretty thing, this!” cried Prussy. 
“You’ll get to the poorhouse by your 
goodness ; mind I told you so. You’ve 
spent an hour and a half over those beg- 
gars, and you a woman having her living 
to earn.” 


THE miser’s money. 


71 


“Well, I am more than paid for it this 
time,” said Mary. “See, here is a dollar 
bill, and look at this parcel — rice, tea, 
sugar, cheese, smoked beef! — who ever 
saw so many good things here before? 
Now, Prussy, you shall have tea with 
me. I wish Richard were here,” she 
added, with a sigh. 

Prussia evidently did not join in this 
wish. She, however, cried, eagerly, “ Is 
all that for you? a present? from the 
lady?” hurrying her questions as Mary 
nodded a reply to each. “Well, there, now ! 
That is the first time you ever made any- 
thing by religion, and charity, and,” she 
added, consolingly, “ it will be the lastJ^ 

“I don’t look to reward in this world,” 
said Mary. “My Master has promised 
me treasure higher up. However, I can 
be thankful for good things when he 
sends them. Move up, Prussy; we’ll 
have the tea when it’s drawn, and we’ll 
thank the Lord for it.” 


72 THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


“ I’ll thank you^' said Prussia the in- 
corrigible. 

“ Prussia,” said Mary, “ do you know 
what a Bible- woman is?” 

“No; unless it’s one summat like your- 
self,” said Miss Wiggins. 

“ That lady asked me if I was one this 
afternoon, .and I said no,” said Mary. 

“You might easy have said yes,” re- 
plied Prussia. 

“She said ^ the Bible-woman,’ as if it 
was something particular.” 

^^'‘The' or ‘a,’ it’s all one,” said Prussia; 
“ and you’re particular enough, mercy 
knows !” 

The next day Mrs. Warren called on 
Mary before going to see Mrs. Wishalow. 

“ Indeed, madam, she is much better,” 
said Mary, in reply to a question about 
Margaret; “your goodness has cheered 
her up.” 

“Yes, yes,” said Prussia; “there’s 
plenty willing to lie in bed and be waited 


THE miser’s money. 


73 


on that ain’t willing to take hold and 
work, like / has to.” 

“I’m sure Margaret has always worked 
hard„” said Mary; “and all she^s* wants 
now is to be able to see daylight and 
have something to do.” 

“See daylight?” snapped Prussia. “/ 
see daylight through the hole I make 
with the point of my lieedle, and I never 
found a lack of work.” 

“ I shall furnish Margaret with work,” 
said Mrs. Warren. 

“It did me good to see Billy this morn- 
ing,” said Mary; “how like a man he set 
out to help his mother !” 

“ ’Twon’t last long,” said Prussy ; 
“ they’re all bad ones.” 

“ I don’t think he is a bad boy,” said 
Mary ; “ he has never had clothes fit to 
go to school, nor has he had any regular 
employment. All boys get into mischief 
when they have no business. I mind 
well what my mother taught me : 

7 


74 


THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


“ ‘ Satan finds some mischief still 
For idle hands to do.’ 

“And,” said Mrs. Warren, who had 
lived but a year in the city, and unfor- 
tunately had confined her observations to 
her own class in society, “is there any 
choice of employment for children such 
as Margaret’s?” 

“ Yes, indeed,” said Mary ; “ there are 
hundreds of children of five years old 
and upward who have regular business 
and support themselves. Like grown 
people, children require something to set 
them up in . their trades ; and what, is 
only a trifle in itself, is to many a for- 
tune they can’t get hold of ; and, for want 
of it, hundreds have to pick up a living 
helter-skelter. And then there’s as many 
other children who are tossed about like 
dead leaves on the stream ; and some die, 
and others get to Refuges, Homes, Houses 
of Correction and soon. Now and then 
the good Lord’s mercy sends some 


THE miser’s money. 


75 


Christian to pick up one and take care 
. of it.” 

“ Why,” said the lady, shading her 
eyes with her hand, “ this is a horrible 
picture of childhood ; how came you to 
know so much of it?” 

“ I have looked at it here, on Greene, 
Broome and Sullivan streets, for ten 
years,” said Mary, with a sigh. . 

u Terrible ! terrible !” said Mrs. War- 
ren, half to herself, reflecting on what 
Mrs. Ware had said. “ What can be 
done ? Can it ever be relieved ?” 

‘‘Ah,” said Mary, “if God’s people 
from church to church in all this city 
would join hands, they, by doing, each 
one, all they could, would make a strong- 
net, and gather in all these swarms of 
children as a fisherman’s seine gathers in 
the fish.” 

“And I,” said Mrs. Warren, “have 
lived in this city a year, with some leis- 
ure and some money to spare, and I have 


76 


THE NEW YORK BIBLE- WO^fAN. 


(lone nothing, known nothing, for all 
this !” 

“ Well,” said Mary, lifting her grave 
eyes from her work, “ perchance what 
loitering has been, the Lord will attribute 
to ignorance 'of his work ; but I do feel 
that, when one knows of it, they must 
call to mind their orders from the Head 
of the house: ‘Whatsoever thy hand finds 
to do, do it with thy might.’ ” 

Even the tart and fearless Prussia lift- 
ed her eyes at what she considered Mary’s 
audacity. But Mary meant no audacity. 
She had but one purpose in her humble 
life — the service of the Lord. She spoke 
to Mrs. Warren, not as to a superior in 
wealth and station, but, sinking all infe- 
rior thoughts, she addressed her frankly, 
gravely, humbly, as one Christian should 
speak to another. 

To these remarks Mrs. Warren, a wo- 
man like-minded with Mary W^are, re- 
plied: “You have shown me a side of life 


THE miser’s money. 


" 77 

of which I had not the least imagination ; 
I thank you for it; it reveals to me a 
new means of doing good.” 

“To work for children^'' said Mary, “is 
to do the very hopefulest kind of work. 
Of course, if the children were all right, 
the grown -folks that are to he would be 
right too.” 

“Certainly,” smiled Mrs. Warren; “it 
is the old story of the twig and the 
tree.” 

“Yes, madam; mother used to say that 
too. Mother was a great woman for that 
kind of sayings.” 

“But to go back farther yet,” said Mrs. 
Warren; “if there were good mothers, 
there would be better children. Why 
not work for the mothers?” 

“Then, if jou’re going to the root of 
matters,” said Mary, “you must go far- 
ther back yet, and work at their pay- 
masters.” 

“Tell me how that is,” said Mrs. War- 


78 


THE NEW YOKK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


ren; “you know more about the poor 
than I do.” 

“Why,” said Mary, “these folks are* 
A^ery poor, and have no friends; and can’t 
get out as day’s-workers anywhere, be- 
cause people won’t trust them. The Bi- 
ble says ‘the destruction of the poor is 
their poverty,’ and it’s true enough. 
These poor women bind shoes, make 
caps and do slop-sewing. They get the 
very smallest pay, and for that, work day 
and night. They lack food, fire, rest and 
clothes, and the children run wild because 
the mothers have not comfort or care to 
give them.” 

“Yes,” chimed in Prussy, “work for 
men like Jessup.” 

“Jessup again,” said Mrs. Warren to 
herself; then aloud, “What can you tell 
me of Mr. Jessup?” 

“He’s dead, poor man!” said Mary, 
“and it seems wrong even to tell the 
truth of him. But he was one of the 


THE miser’s money. 


79 


hardest of all hard paymasters. Twelve 
or fifteen women in this quarter worked 
for him. These women had from three 
to seven children apiece, and Jessup 
throve by giving them wages that 
crushed out their very life. Oh, madam! 
those that give that sort of wages crush 
bodies and souls tool” Mary spoke 
strongly, but worked even while she 
spoke. 

Mrs. Warren sighed, as if oppressed. 
The theme had been handled in a way 
Prussia could not enter upon, and there 
was a moment’s silence. Then Mary, 
feeling the oppression, said, “Please let 
us talk about something else, l Won’t 
you tell me what a Bible-woman is, 
madam?” 

“A Bible-woman,” replied Mrs. War- 
ren, “is a Christian woman who is em- 
ployed by some able persons to go about 
a certain part of the city reading the 
Bible, teaching the poor about religious 


80 


THE NEW YOEK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


and family duties in a friendly way, and 
helping and encouraging them ; caring 
for the sick, making note of destitute 
cases, and reporting all to a lady who 
acts as manager, furnishes relief and 
gives advice.” 

“Lawk!” cried Prussia, glad to find 
something to say; “and what pay might 
one get for such work?” 

Her loud tones drowned Mary’s gentle 
murmur, “Ah, what a blessed life!” 

“I suppose the salary differs with dif- 
ferent places and irfdividuals,” said Mrs. 
Warren. 

“I wouldn’t mind being one myself,” 
said Prussia. “It is pleasanter running 
about than sewing for dear life by a win- 
dow ten mortal hours a day, or more — 
oftener twelve or fourteen. As to the 
work you made mention on, I could do 
all but the reading well enough, and that 
I might make shift of; poor folk have no 
call to be over particular.” 


THE miser’s money. 


81 


“But a Bible-woman,” said Mrs. War- 
ren, gently, “'must have good judgment’; 
and, more than all, that religion, pure 
and undefiled, that exalts Jesus and his 
love, and longs for the salvation of souls — 
a knowledge born above, and that is be- 
yond all price.” 

“Oh!” said Prussia, pursing up her 
mouth and critically examining a watch- 
pocket; “oh! oh! oh! Well, I don’t 
doubt I’ve got as much religion as is 
good for folks on Broome and Sullivan ; 
yes; but if you want one over-much in- 
clined to Methody, there’s Mary Ware. 
She’s one of your Bible- women — just it — 
only the salary. She totes about after the 
sick when she ought to be quilting linings 
and setting sleeves. She carries the Bible 
in her pocket constant, and I may say in 
her head. On Sundays she gets Rose 
Wishalow and Angel Mulrooney, and a 
pair of Miss Logan’s tow-heads, and’talks, 
and reads, and preaches. You just ought 

F 


82 


THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


to hear her. She’s turned Angel nigh 
wild—” 

“I ain’t said a soft voice; and 

all turned to see Angel standing in the 
door with her white face, her large, earn- 
est eyes, and her long golden hair combed 
out in bright waves over her shoulders, 
half hiding her deformity, and holding 
Dermot Wishalow by the hand. Dermot 
was scrubbed and combed to a nicety, and 
wore a neat pink and white pinafore. 

Angel’s eyes questioned Prussia so 
closely that that worthy woman snapped 
out, “Wild enough! Ain’t you talking- 
texts, and right and wrong, and dying, 
and heaven and all that — no end?” 

“Oh!” said Angel, enlightened; then 
crossing over to Mary: “Don’t Derry 
look nice? I washed him, and that’s 
one of my pinafores.” 

Mrs. Warren held out her hand to 
draw Angel to her side, and gently 
stroked her soft hair. 


THE miser’s money. 


83 


“How nice you are!” said -Angel, 
frankly. “ Do you like me?” 

Mrs. Warren’s smile seemed answer 
enough, and Angel went on: “And you 
don’t mind?” Her expression referred 
the minding to her deformity. 

“jN'o, no; not at all,” Mrs. Warren 
said, eagerly. 

“Nor mother don’t” said Angel, de- 
lighted; “she loves me just as much, or 
more; but,” her tone was lower, “Prussy 
does.” 

“Of course,” said Prussia, whose quick 
ears caught every word; “any one likes 
straight folks best.” 

Mrs. Warren felt the unkindness of 
this, and, to make amends to Angel and 
testify her own good-will, asked, “ Have 
you a doll?” 

“Yes’m; an old one.” 

“And wouldn’t you like a nice new 
one, with pretty clothes?” 

“Oh, I don’t care much for dolls,” said 


84 


THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


Angel; “but I’ll tell you what I’m sav- 
ing up money to buy, and that’s a little 
work-basket and thread and needles; and 
when I get a big bundle of patches, I’m 
going to make a quilt for me when I’m a 
woman!” 

Mrs. Warren rose to go to Mrs. Wish- 
alow’s. “Would you like to be a Bible- 
woman?” she said to Mary. 

“Ah, yes; but it would be easy to find 
one better fit,” said Mary. 

A fortnight later Mrs. Warren was 
sitting by her window in her low chair. 
A small roll of bank-notes lay on her lap, 
and as they were stirred by the air com- 
ing through the open wdndow, they show- 
ed the mark $100 on the corners. They 
had just been paid her by the executor 
of the estate of a deceased great-uncle. 

Mrs. Warren’s eyes were dreamily 
fixed on the slips of paper; they seemed, 
in her reverie, spotted with blood and 
’wet with tears. As they rustled, their 


THE miser’s money. 


85 


sound seemed sighs, and stifled groans, 
and whispered entreaties, and prayers 
for retribution ; and this because, for the 
week past, Mrs. Warren had gone daily 
to Sullivan street, and had seen many of 
the denizens of that quarter; and the 
great-uncle, whose small legacy this 
money was, was no other than Jessup. 
Her great-uncle, who, having taken some 
pique against a generation or two back, 
had never met his niece, and consequently 
had small claim on her love or regrets. 
Probably his sole reason for leaving a 
few hundreds to Mrs. Warren was that 
by so doing he might irritate somebody 
else, though who that somebody was she 
had no means of knowing. 

Presently Mrs. Warren gathered the 
bank-notes in her hand and went down 
to the library. Her husband was writ- 
ing at the table, and she went behind 
his chair and held the bills over his 
shoulder . 


8 


86 


THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


“Here is that money Uncle Jessup left 
me.” 

“What is the matter? is it counter- 
feit?” he asked, looking; up from his 
work. 

“Oh no; hut were we not rich enough 
for all our needs before we got this? Did 
we wish it, or seek for it, or do we need 
what it will buy?” 

“Certainly it is not of much importance 
to us, but money is always good in its 
way. Use it as pleases you best. What 
will you buy? Books, pictures, a statue 
or two, some bronzes? You like those 
things. Get what will make the poor 
old miser’s memory seem the least un- 
pleasant.” 

“I know how he got it!” cried Mrs. 
Warren. “He ground it out of the poor, 
out of wretched mothers and neglected 
children; he got it by pressing poor crea- 
tures down into such misery and despair 
that they do not care what they do, and 


THE MISEK’s money. 


87 


so rush into horrible crimes for the pub- 
lic to be shocked at, and for you lawyers 
and judges to punish.” ^ 

“Yes,” said Judge Warren, gravely; 
“thank God that there are large-hearted 
philanthropists to counterbalance mis- 
chief such as his, or the country would 
be in a fair way for ruin.” 

“That is just it,” exclaimed Mrs. AYar- 
ren, .eagerly; “and I want to do my little 
part in this compensation system, and 
turn this money back in a refreshing 
stream upon the territory whence it was 
drained. I want to give it again to those 
upon whom he had committed legalized 
robberies. I want to give it to those 
poor who have made my heart ache for 
their wretchedness.” 

“But, my dear woman,” said Judge 
Warren, drawing the money from his 
wife’s hand and spreading it out before 
him on the table, “if you go along 
Broome and Sullivan streets and deal 


88 


THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


out this money as your kind impulses 
prompt you, you may do incalculable 
mischief. The old story of a feast one 
day and a famine the next will be real- 
ized, your money will be wasted on un- 
worthy objects who impose upon you, 
and I fear he who can lie fastest will get 
the most.” 

“Oh, your honor,” said Mrs. Warren, 
drawing down the corners of her mowth, 
“just hear my plan, which is not quite 
so insane as yours.” 

“Ah, you haA^e a plan? Let me hear 
it by all means.” 

“This money, your honor,” said Mrs. 
Warren, merrily, “will support a Bible- 
woman for Lvo years, and leave a hun- 
dred and fifty each year to use in the 
wisest manner that can be devised for 
the benefit of the needy.” 

“And, unless you mean to keep this 
money tied up in a long stocking, after 
the story-book style, there will be a little 


THE miser’s MOXEY. 


89 


interest coining from it before you get it 
all spent.” 

“So there will; I had forgotten that. 
We will keep the interest to set up some 
little boy in a legitimate business, and 
thus save to the city— item, one thief.” 

“And whom have you in your mind to 
engage for Bible- woman? Mary Ware, 
of whom I have heard so much?” 

“Exactly, What an admirable guesser 
you are!” 

“I advise yon first to see her pastor, 
and ask -his opinion as to her suitableness 
for the work. And you will act as lady 
manager?” 

“Yes; but I hope to beguile some of 
my good friends into taking an interest 
in it.” 

“I see now^ but one objection to urge: 
in two years your capital will be ex- . 
hausted, and the work will have to drop 
— l^erhaps just when well begun.” 

“By no means,” said Mrs. M^arren. 


90 


THE NEW YOKE BIBLE-WOMAN. 


“If the work is good — if the cause is 
of the Lord — he will prosper it, and will 
not let it fall to the ground. I could be- 
lieve that in two years he would open 
new means of supporting the enterprise, 
and that in the name of the Lord we 
might go forward.” 

“Well,” said Judge Warren, gathering- 
up the money and handing it back to his 
wife, “take it and use it as you propose, 
and may a blessing go with it. I don’t 
know that a blessing could follow it if 
put to any other use.” 

Mrs. Warren divided the notes into 
two parcels. Giving the larger to her 
husband, she said: “Take care of that, 
and get ever so much interest on it in 
behalf of that boy, whoever he is, that we 
will set up in business. I will see Mary 
Ware’s pastor and Mary herself, and get 
this little plan in operation as soon as 
possible.” 

And so, poor, miserly Jessup, this is 


THE miser’s money. 


91 


the way your money is going! You 
would have your pound of flesh; you 
gathered in your money, dime by dime, 
at the peril of your soul, and what comes 
of it? Hardly in your coffers is it before 
the Lord takes it out and sends it back to 
those from whom it was wrung — sends it 
back with goodly interest added to it in 
tender human sympathy and heavenly 
truth ! 


CHAPTER IV. 


SETTING UP IN BUSINESS. 


S Mrs. Warren turned to leave the 
library, a girl of seventeen ran in, 



£ her pretty face lit up with smiles, 


^ her fair, wavy hair pushed otf her 
forehead, her sleeves rolled up past the 
elbow, a bib-apron of white dimity pinned 
over her alpaca dress, and a delightful 
look of playing-at-work in her whole ap- 
pearance. 

“Oh, Aunt Agnes!” she cried, “I’ve 
had the greatest time getting those things 
down from the attic! Jim has helped 
me, and we’ve made them look splendid. 
I’ve almost a mind to hire an attic and 
furnish with them, and play at being- 
poor and keeping attic. Could you give 
me some plain sewing, ma’am — some of 


92 


SETTING UP IN BUSINESS. 


93 


the jointilman’s shirts, for instance? 
Shure, I’d do thim well for the joodge;” 
and the lively girl swept a curtsy which 
was over-graceful for the Irishwoman she 
was personifying. 

“Indeed,” said Mrs. Warren, laughing, 
“I cannot promise you any sewing, for I 
am afraid ‘the joodge’ might put his 
arms through some of the stitches, mis- 
taking them for arm-holes ; but I should 
be happy to go and see this furniture you 
have been furbishing up.” 

In Mrs. Warren’s attic had stood a 
heterogeneous assemblage of household 
articles, part of which she had banished 
from her own rooms, other part had been 
in the attic when she entered the house, 
abandoned by the previous occupant, and 
the rest had been sent there by a relative 
who left town in haste. This “household 
stulf,” Jim the hired boy, under the direc- 
tion of Miss Kate Fairly, Judge Warren’s 
niece, had set up in the back area, and 


94 


THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


cleaned and polished and mended to the 
best of his ability. Jim evidently thought 
it work that was almost play. He stood 
grinning from ear to ear, his face curi- 
ously streaked and spotted with stove 
polish, and his latest work before him, 
in the shape of an antiquated little cook- 
stove newly cleaned. 

“ See what a love of a stove !” cried 
Kate ; “ and look at the jewel of a kettle! 
Jim is going to solder up that hole, and 
then it will be all right.. Here’s the bed- 
stead. I sent Jim out to buy a cord for 
the old-fashioned object, and you can find 
a mattrass and bedding, I’m sure. Aunt 
Agnes. Ah, here’s the table ; we nailed 
a piece on that foot, and Jim put a hinge 
on the leaf. I think Jim ought to be a 
joiner. How much do you think it will 
take to set him up in business ?” 

Jim here burst into a loud laugh ; but 
suddenly remembering that that was not 
respectful, checked himself by inadver- 


SETTING UP IN BUSINESS. 


95 


tently thrusting the stove-brush into his 
mouth, which at once yawned on Miss 
Kate such an inky cavern that she was 
obliged to retire to the entry to try and 
finish her laughing. Meanwhile, Mrs. 
Warren examined the remainder of the 
furniture — a pot, pan, washboard, two 
chairs, a looking-glass, a mat, and a het- 
erogenous collection of crockery. She 
then bade Jim wash his face and go for 
a dray to take the things to Mrs. Wish- 
alow. 

In these weeks since Mrs. Warren had 
come to comfort her in her trouble, Mar- 
garet Wish alow had recovered much of 
her early strength and energy, and was 
now ready to go to work to help herself 
and her children. 

At first, Margaret, completely broken 
in spirit and exhausted in body, had lain 
on her bed, seeming to care for nothing ; 
but the increased comfort and cheerful- 
ness of her children, the strength slowly 


96 THE NEW YORK BIBLE- WOMAN. 

coming from rest and good food, and the 
plain, kind reasoning of Mary Ware 
roused her to some interest in what was 
going on. Margaret had been a good 
housewife in her early days, and now, as 
she lay in her bed, the old instincts of 
careful management began to stir in her 
as she saw Rose awkwardly trying to 
mend a decent garment recently given to 
Derry, or, with the best intentions, stu- 
pidly ruining wholesome food. These 
things stirred Margaret to activity. She 
sat up in bed and mended the frock, and 
got out of bed to make the beef-soup to 
her liking. Once out of bed, she did not 
care to go back ; but, finding brush and 
comb conveniently laid on a shelf, she 
dressed herself, smoothed her hair, and 
in a day or two began to help Rose keep 
the room in order. The greatest agent 
in rousing Margaret, making her hope-' 
ful, stirring the nearly dead embers of 
her self-respect, and winning her to make 


SETTING UP IN BUSINESS. 97 

new efforts for the welfare of her family, 
was a clock. 

Mrs. Warren had in one of her back 
bed-rooms a clock long unused. One day 
some good angel whisjDered her to give it 
to Margaret. She had it cleaned, and 
soon it was ticking and striking on a 
shelf in Sullivan street. With the clock 
came a new era in Margaret’s domestic 
life ; the cheerful, busy days of her ser- 
vice with Mrs. Warren’s mother were 
recalled. The bitter years of going lower 
and lower in poverty and sorrow were 
dead; the clock ticked their requiem, 
and hour and minute hands seemed 
burying them out of sight, like birds 
burying the babes in the wood. Mar- 
garet was herself again. . She washed her 
babe daily, undertook to teach Rose how 
to work, bade Billy be a good boy, and 
said vaguely that Lizzie should go to 
school some day. She was sadly ham- 
pered, however, by lack of nearly all 
y G 


98 


THE NEW YOEK BIBLE- WOMAN. 


household furniture and utensils ; often 
she was ready to cry, “What is the use 
of trying to do anything? I can never 
get things together to live like decent 
people.” 

In the midst of all this came the dray 
with the goods that had recently stood in 
Mrs. Warren’s attic, and more recently 
had been polished by Jim in the back area. 

W^hen the drayman and a lad from the 
street stumbled into Mrs. Wishalow’s 
upper room with the stove, and informa- 
tion that there was a load of “stuff” at 
the door below, the whole family flew to 
the window to see. At once Rose, Billy 
and Lizzie ran frantically down to bring 
U]D the things,^ while the baby shrieked 
unheard by its amazed mother, and Der- 
mot fell down stairs unheeded. 

“ Goody gracious !” cried Billy, as he 
ran up stairs with a pot and tea-kettle, 
Avhile Lizzie followed hard after with the 
looking-glass; “mustn’t Mrs. Warren be 


SETTING UP IN BUSINESS. 


99 


rich as anything, to give away all these 
things ?” 

“ Yes, sir !” said Lizzie ; “‘I shouldn’t 
wonder if she had two hund^r^^Z dollars 
in the bank. I ’spect she gives away 
things ’cause she just don’t know what 
to do with her money.” 

“ Some folkses like to give away,” said 
Billy; “Bible Mary does, and Mrs. War- 
ren’s just like her; why, she give me a 
reg’lar preachment t’other day.” 

“ I don’t like preachments,” said Liz- 
zie; “I likexandy and nuts, and I want 
a parasol with beads on it ; and if ever I 
get rich, I’m going to the theatre.” Here 
the children were crowded out of the way 
by the drayman carrying the bedstead, 
the boy with a huge bundle of bedding- 
on his head, and Rose valiantly lugging 
up the crockery. Billy and Lizzie fell 
into the rear of this procession, and Liz- 
zie concluded her remarks to her brother 
by saying, “And I don’t care for Bible 


100 THE NEW YOEK BIBLE- WOMAN. 


Mary ; she seems like as she was a-look- 
ing right into you.” 

The men were gone. Margaret sat on 
the side of her bed, crying violently. The 
astonished children stood about her. 

“Are you sick, mother?” asked Billy. 

“Are you sorry, mother?” urged Rose. 

“ You’d oughter be glad,” said Lizzie. 
“ I never seed sech a stock of things in 
my life, and all our’n !” 

“ Don’t ky,” shouted Dermot ; “ here’s 
a ba’kit with bread and cookies into it !” 
He pulled the wicker-basket to his 
mother’s feet. Margaret, relieved by 
her tears, was wiping her e^ms. “ It 
overcame me,” she explained to her chil- 
dren, “ to see all these things, and to feel 
as if there was a chance of being some- 
thing yet, and not to be sure of getting 
to the poorhouse, or seeing you in jail for 
stealing your bread.” At these miserable 
words Rose put her frock-skirt to her 
eyes, Billy begun to whimper, “ Don’t 


SETTING UP IN BUSINESS. 


101 


you be so hard on a fellow, mother 
while Lizzie, who understood thoroughly 
the science of crying, lifted a piercing 
shriek, ably seconded by the baby, and 
toned down into a melancholy wail ; Der- 
mot, however, kept shouting, “ Don’t ky ; 
here’s a ba’kit of cookies !” 

Margaret stooped over the precious 
basket, and saw, truly enough, bread and 
ginger-cakes, but, worthier than they, a 
Bible in plain print. As she took it from 
its wrapper she saw a slip of papei:, 
whereon was plainly written, “ Margaret^ 
read this each day to your children ^ What 
could she do but resolve to obey this mo- 
nition of her benefactress ? 

Busy hands soon put the new furniture 
in its place. The stove was set up, and 
Rose was eager to “get tea like other 
folks.” 

When the meal was cleared away, Mar- 
garet bade her children sit down, and 
said to them: “Mrs. Warren has sent 


102 THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 

me a Bible, and says I miist read it to 
you every day. If folks minded what 
the Bible says, there wouldn’t be nigh so 
much trouble nor badness in this world. 
If I’d minded it, and all Miss Agnes’ 
mother used to say to me, I’d be a better 
mother, and belike you’d be better chil- 
dren.” 

“You’re good mother enough,” said 
Billy, gallantly. 

“We don’t want no better,” said Rose, 
getting tearful behind the baby’s head. 

Margaret now opened her Bible, and 
Providence doubtless directed her to the 
twentieth chapter of Matthew, of which 
she read half, quite distinctly, the chil- 
dren being much interested. Billy, how- 
ever, suggested that a penny a day was 
“ cheap wages,” and Lizzie replying that 
there were “ lots of things to buy for a 
penny — she’d like one every day.” 

Rose put the three younger children to 
bed ; Derry, to his triumph, being tucked 


SETTING UP IN BUSINESS. 


103 


into the “ new bed,” which he was to oc- 
cupy with Billy. Rose and Billy retired 
to the most remote corner of the room, 
where they kept up a long whispering, 
their mother meanwhile sewing by her 
new table. 

The next day, Kate Fairly insisted upon 
going to see Mary Ware and Margaret. 
Mrs. Warren sent the cook, an elderly 
woman, to act as the young lady’s escort. 
Early in the afternoon, while Mrs. War- 
ren was calling upon Mary’s pastor, Kate 
sat smiling and chatting in Mary’s room, 
making the coatmaker think of flowers 
and sunshine, and even beguiling Prussia 
from her usual acidity. Kate met at 
Mary’s somebody whom she wanted to 
see — no other person than Angel Mul- 
rooney. Kate had in a paper a nice little 
work-basket made of chintz, and furnish- 
ed with pockets stuffed with spools of 
thread, a needlebook full of assorted nee- 
dles, a steel thimble, a pair of scissors, a 


104 THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 

cushion filled with pins, and in the centre 
of the basket a goodly bundle of calico ; 
a grand beginning for that famous quilt 
that should cover Angel when she was a 
woman. Angel was in a maze of delight 
while she examined her treasures. “All 
for me?” she cried. “How good you are! 
Oh, I know you are one of those good 
ones the Bible tells of, that Grod loved ; 
he must love you a great deal. I know 
you love him, you are so kind.” 

The pink on Kate’s cheek deepened to 
red ; she looked about, feeling uncomfort- 
able, and her eye fell on Rose, who she 
thought felt uncomfortable too. But in 
truth Rose felt simply awkward. “I 
ought to have a present for her,” said 
Kate to herself; then putting her hand in 
her pocket she found her porte-monnaie. 
Taking out twenty-five cents, she held it 
out to Rose, saying, “I did not know if 
you would like a basket; you can buy 
yourself a present with this.” 


SETTING UP IN BUSINESS. 


105 


Rose took the money quickly, saying, 
‘'Thank you, ma’am ; I like this most.” 

Very likely Miss Kate would have been 
better pleased if Rose had been less 
prompt about accepting the money, and 
had needed to be urged a little. The 
conventional child of the story-books has 
usually a “native delicacy” that shrinks 
from receiving money from strangers. 
.Rose, however, ^had no scruples ; she 
wanted money very much, and was de- 
lighted to get it. 

“A reg’lar young beggar!” hissed 
Prussia. 

Rose dared not reply before the 
stranger, but her brow frowned and her 
black eyes darted fierce looks at Prussia, 
over baby’s shoulder. 

Angel soon wanted to go and show her 
gift to her mother, and Rose went with 
her to find Billy ; both went off so cheer- 
fully that Kate said to Mary, “How little 
it takes to make them happy !” 


106 THE NEW YOEK BIBLE-AVOMAN. 

“It was very kind of you to remember 
them,” said Mary. “Poor dears! there 
has been but little to brighten their lives,"* 
more especially for Rose.” 

“And did Margaret like the things we 
sent her yesterday ?” cried Kate. 

“Yes, indeed, miss; you cannot think 
how much hope and comfort that cart- 
load of furniture brought them.” 

“That was my idea, to send those 
things you know,” said Kate with the 
freedom of sixteen. “I spoke to Aunt 
Agnes about it, and helped Jim furbish 
them up.” 

“May the Lord reward you!” said 
Mary. 

“That’s just it,” said Kate, confiden- 
tially. “I do think that giving is the 
easiest way to get good. You know all it 
says in the Bible about giving a cup of 
water being rewarded, and the prophet’s 
reward, and all that.” 

“Yes,” said Mary, “I believe the 


SETTING UP IN BUSINESS. 


107 


generous heart is always blessed. There 
are some people that love to give so well 
that giving is its own reward, and I 
think the Lord often rewards the liberal 
by a fair portion of this world’s goods. 
But you know, dear miss, that we cannot 
buy heaven by our liberality — we can’t 
get into glory on the strength of what 
we’ve given away down here.” 

“Well,” said Kate, “I know that is 
what aunt and uncle and the ministers 
believe. But I have read those texts 
about giving over and over ; I like them 
the best of any in the Bible; and — I 
never said it to any one before — but I do 
think they mean that those who are 
generous in giving shall get to heaven ; 
why some of them can’t mean anything 
else.” 

“ God forbid that the generous should 
not get to heaven!” cried Mary, “but 
they will not get there because of their 
gifts ; it’s because of the love of Jesus for 


108 THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 

them, and theirs for him, that they’ll 
reach that good land. Bless you, my 
child ! it’s not by giving^ but by receiving^ 
one gets to heaven !” 

Kate sighed, shook out her dress, and 
drew some sort of sketch on the floor 
with the top of her parasol. “ I must go 
to see Margaret,” she said ; ‘‘I will call 
here again some time with my aunt.” 
The cook had preferred to spend the 
time of Miss Kate’s visit to Mary in 
gossip on the sidewalk ; she now followed 
the young lady toward Mrs. Wisha- 
low’s. They passed Angel, Bose and 
Billy, sitting on a step in close consulta- 
tion ; the baby had slipped from Bose’s 
lap and crawled to the edge of the walk, 
and was inspecting the slimy gutter. As 
Miss Kate passed, startled by her mag- 
nificence, or forgetting his usual efibrts to 
maintain his equilibrium, he lost his bal- 
ance, and, like the unfortunate helmsman 
of JGneas, rolled upon his head. His 


SETTING UP IN BUSINESS. 


109 


dismal situation broke up the council the 
children were holding. 

The subject the children had had under 
discussion was no less than how Billy 
should earn his living. Many times, 
during his ten years of life, he had 
earned a little money, but, by what had 
seemed to him some miserable magic, as 
soon as the money was gained his father 
found it out and took it from him to buy 
rum. It may have been that Billy’s 
countenance in its unusual complacency 
betokened the presence of money in his 
pocket, or he may have jingled the 
pennies in said pocket until the sweet 
music intended for his own ears met his 
father’s also ; however it was, poor Billy 
had been so often robbed that he had 
grown hopeless of benefiting any one by 
his exertions. When his father was dead, 
and his mother sick, Billy mustered up 
all his energy to try and earn a little 
money for food and fuel. Everything 
10 


110 THE NEVV^ YOKK BIBLE-WOMAN. 

seemed against him ; he could barely raise 
a jDenny a day, and nightly returned dis- 
heartened to Rose, to tell her how little 
he got by his best efforts, and that un- 
less he had money to “set up” with, he 
“ couldn’t do one thing.” 

Where money to set up with would be 
obtained, how little could be made to do 
and what would be the best way to use it, 
were matters Rose and Billy had argued 
many times in corners. 

Rose proposed that Billy should set 
up as a candy-merchant ; if they could 
buy some molasses. Rose thought she 
could make some candy under Mrs. Mul- 
rooney’s tuition ; Rose and Angel would 
pull it into sticks ; Billy should beg a bit 
of board for a tray at the ship-yard, and 
enter fairly upon business. But where 
was the money to come from ? The chil- 
dren had found their mother apt to be 
discouraging and to look despondently 
upon their plans ; and moreover they had 


SETTING UP IN BUSINESS. 


Ill 


never known her to have twenty-five 
cents to spare, and twenfy-five cents was 
the least that would safely inaugurate the 
new project. They had concluded that 
Billy should keep every penny he earned 
until the requisite amount was gathered 
together, but in a whole week he had 
earned but five cents’ and one of those 
dear cents impish Lizzie had run off with 
to buy peanuts. Now that Rose had the 
longed-for money, she could hardly be- 
lieve her own senses. How much better 
was this precious quarter dollar than 
Angel’s fine basket ! She found Billy as 
soon as joossible, and with Angel had jusr 
settled upon the way of laying out their 
small capital when the baby rolled into 
the gutter. Matters about the baby were 
soon set right. Angel said she would 
mind the little creature while Billy ran 
to look for his smooth white board, and 
Rose, with a high sense of her own im- 
portance, set out to buy the molasses. 


112 THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 

Rose knew no better than to go to Mrs. 
Wheeler’s, where all her life she had 
been sent to buy necessary articles in 
amounts from one to live cents’ worth. 
She did not know that her money would 
buy more and better molasses at the nice 
grocery where Mrs. Warren had filled 
the basket for Mary Ware. Rose had a 
sort of idea that poor people must trade 
at poor places. Had she mentioned her 
business to Mary or Mrs. Mulrooney, she 
would have been told where she could 
buy to the best advantage, but she was 
too eager to stop to ask advice from any 
one. With her large brown pitcher she 
hasted away to the wretched little den, 
indicated by a board considered a triumph 
of art, and bearing this inscription — 

Mrs. Weeler gBoceRyss^ 

and having its dim little window-panes 
filled up with small salt sacks, herrings 
transfixed on big pins, horrible- looking 


' • I , 





H 1 1 


• I 






f 




t ^ 

i 




I 



Yitrk B^hle-^yoman 




SETTING UP IN BUSINESS. 


113 


cookies, dirty jars of candy, rows of pins 
and spools of soiled cotton. Rose placed 
herself at the grimy counter and asked 
for«twenty cents’ worth of molasses. “Is 
that all ?” she said dolefully, looking into 
the pitcher when Dame Wheeler returned 
it. Mrs. W. leaned against the wall 
covered with the scores of her whisky- 
buying customers, planted her feet against 
a kit of mackerel, set her arms akimbo, 
and looking severely at Rose, said, “Mo- 
lasses has riz.” 

Rose took the five cents of change, but 
in her disappointment still looked dubi- 
ously at the contents of the pitcher. 

“If you don’t like it,” said Mrs. 
Wheeler, “you can give it back and I’ll 
empty it, but I’ll keep the money for my 
trouble.” 

Several tipplers sitting in dingy corners 
thought this a capital joke, and laughed 
feebly at the woman’s wit. Rose went 
out disconsolate. 

10 « 


H 


114 THE NEW YORK BIBEE-WOMAN. 


She went up to Mrs. Mulrooney’s room, 
where Angel had shown the new work- 
basket and detailed the plan for Billy. 
Mrs. Mulrooney was in high good-humor, 
and ready to do all she could for Rose. 

“If you’ll shoAv me how to make it just 
once, Mrs. Mulrooney,” said Rose, “I’ll 
do it alone next time. Here is a five- 
pence for a bit of butter and flour to put 
in it. I want it ever so nice, if this mo- 
lasses will make it; only see how little 
and black it is, for twenty cents.” 

“Little and black, sure enough ! Take 
advisement by me, honey, and lay out 
your money at a decent place, an’ you 
haven’t but a dime to spend. I larn’t 
that long enough ago. How would I 
thrive widout ? Never waste a penny by 
Mrs. Wheeler, as sells poison to folk. 
But never mind, jewel ; what’s done’s 
done, and can’t be helped ; what can’t be 
cured must be endured; and by that same 
token it’s no use crying for spilt milk. 


SETTING UP IN BUSINESS. 


115 


We’ll make fair candy to-day, and we’ll 
keep clear of Ann Wheeler and do better 
' by ourselves next time.” 

Mrs. Mulrooney now carefully instruct- 
ed Rose how to make the candy, and then 
showed her and Angel how to pull it. 
Billy came running in with his tray, and 
Angel took some blue and pink paper 
which had come about bundles of cotton, 
and cut a fringe to go about the candy- 
board. Mrs. Mulrooney declined taking 
the five cents for the “bit of flour and 
butter,” bidding Rose keep it for the next 
hard time. Billy put his four cents with 
it, and knowing unfortunately that Lizzie 
was not to be trusted, they took the 
money to Mary Ware to keep for them. 
As they were leaving Mrs. Mulrooney’s, 
Billy said, “Oh, I saw him as I came by 
Mrs. Wheeler’s “ him ” meaning Mrs. 
Mulrooney’s husband. 

“I must go fetch him,” said Bridget, 
with a sigh, as she left Angel to get sup- 


116 THE NEW ^OUK BIBLE-WOMAN. 

per, and went to bring home the truant 
husband and father. 

“Come, Terence, me man,” said Mrs. 
Mulrooney, entering the door of the dingy 
groggery; “you’ve missed your way, an’ 
will be late to supper. What have ye in 
yer hand? Hone! it is a moog of whis- 
ky! Give it to me, darlin’; it’s over bad 
for ye!” 

“It’s paid for, and I won’t take it 
back!” cried Mrs. Wheeler, angrily. 
Bridget took the cup from her husband, 
and coolly, opened the door and emptied 
it into the sewer. ^ 

“W'hat business have you here, dis- 
turbing folkses’ lawful bargains?” de- 
manded Mrs. Wheeler. 

“More shame to them as makes it law- 
ful, and to you as sells the stuff that 
makes raving manacs and ijits of people! 
Look at me Terence, a decent workman 
when he’s sober, and such a poor, grin- 
ning fool when he’s drunk. Shame on 


SETTING UP IN BUSINESS. 


117 


you, Ann Wheeler, for a woman to make 
her living on sending them home wild, 
swearin’ brutes, that ought to be good 
fathers to their poor chillen !” 

“Shame on him, to be tied to his wife’s 
apron-string!” said Mrs. Wheeler, point- 
ing to Terence, who gaped and swayed to 
and fro as his wife held his arm. 

“ It’s not him as is tied to me apron- 
sthring at all, at all,” said Bridget; “mine 
wouldn’t be long enough to reach here. 
Why will ye no drive a dacent trade in 
socip and flour and fish, ’stead of sending 
Margaret Wishalow’s man to dhrown his- 
self, and breakin’ Mary Ware’s heart 
afther a dhrinkin’ son. Hold up, Ter- 
ence! Is ye trying to slip off from me? 
Come home and go to sleep, that ye may 
get to work to-morrow. I doubt, me 
jewel, ye haven’t done a hand’s turn the 
day.” 

“Yes, he did,” said Mrs. Wheeler, in 
a braggart tone; “and I’ve got the money 


118 THE NEW YOKE BIBLE- WOMAN. 

for’t in my pocket;” and she rattled some 
loose coins; “he’s paid up his old score, 
and is fair for a new one.” 

“Then, for that and yer other ill deeds,” 
cried Bridget, growing furious, “may ye 
niver have forgiveness! May your sins 
hunt ye. like hounds, and I be there to 
see you rewarded for your badness!” 

So excited was Bridget that she mut- 
tered wishes for “bad ’cess and ill luck” 
to Mrs. Wheeler all the way home, but 
once in her own room, her rage abated. 
The little humpback was truly a minis- 
tering angel to her parents; she brought* 
water and helped her father wash, gave 
him a cup of tea, and persuaded him to 
go to bed. As Mrs.^ Mulrooney said, 
drink made an idiot of Terence. After 
a few swallows of whisky, he fell into a 
state of driveling imbecility, gaping and 
grinning, and utterly incapable of saying 
“Ao” to any one. In this state he lost 
his tools, parted with his money, was per- 


SETTING UP IN BUSINESS. 


119 


suaded to give away or pawn his clothes, 
and was the jest of every ragamuffin in 
the neighborhood. 

“ Don’t grieve, mother,” said Angel, 
standing by the table where her mother 
was making sandwiches and turnovers 
for an early customer. “I keep praying 
to God to make father stop drinking, and 
I know he’ll answer me if I do wait 
pretty long. I think it is a good while 
sometimes,” she added, with a patient 
little sigh; “but you know, mother, 
‘ long ’ to me may be ‘ short ’ to God. 
He will answer me, I know.” 

“Ach, honey,” said her mother, “while 
it’s praying yees air, ye might betther 
ask destructhion to them as sells the vile 
pisen. What is there of ill I wouldn’t 
more than rej’ice to see catch Ann 
Wheeler!” 

“We must forgive her — ” began Angel, 
as in duty bound. 

“I won’t!” said Bridget, decidedly. 


120 THE NEW YOKK BIBLE- WOMAN. 


“ It would be a black sbame to forgive 
sich goin’s on.” 

“But, mother,” urged Angel, “maybe 
nobody ever did teach her what is good.” 

“I’ll teach her, then, wid two strong- 
hands. Shure, let nobody tell me it 
isn’t fit for a lone woman to do her own 
fighting. Shure, ain’t it as good for a 
lone woman as a lone man, so she has 
the strong arms and can strike out fairly! 
I’ll do it! Let no one tell me women 
oughtn’t to fight! Them as has hus- 
bands that keeps ’emselves simple as 
week-old calves with whisky must fight 
their own battles. See if Ann brags to 
me and rattles me man’s money in her 
apron any more !” 

“Oh, mother,” said Angel, beginning 
to cry, “you’ll break my heart if you 
fight like those bad folks. All the boys 
will hoot at you. Oh! don’t make your 
Angel ashamed of you, and fretted over 
bad doings.” 


SETTING UP IN BUSINESS. 


121 


Angel knew well that to urge her own 
feelings upon her mother would be the 
most potent argument she could use. 

“Well then, honey,” said Bridget, 
“kape easy. I’ll not fret you, but what 
will I do at all ? There’s your father, as 
was such a gem of a man whin we was 
marrit, and look how he lies yon like a 
pig, and snores like a grampus, and grins 
in his slape as silly as an ape. Bad luck 
to all of them !” 

An uninitiated hearer might have sup- 
posed Bridget wished bad luck to the 
animals she had mentioned her husband 
as, resembling, but her mild malediction 
was intended for whisky-makers, sellers 
and drinkers. Alas for the woes they 
bring upon the world ! 

“I’m done me work now, Angel. Get 
to bed wid ye, dear ; I’m going over to see 
Mistress Ware a bit,” said Mrs. Mul- 
rooney. Angel was glad enough to hear 
this, for she knew her mother would pour 

II 


122 THE KEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


out her troubles into Mary’s ears, and 
get good counsel. 

Much to Bridget’s delight, Prussia had , 
already betaken herself to her attic, and 
the visitor sat down for a free talk. Mary 
was sewing briskly. 

“Och, woman, but you’ll ruinate your 
eyes working evenings, and by such poor 
light !” said Bridget. 

“Ah,” sighed Mary, “I find my eyes 
failing me, and I so often think I shall 
lose my sight so I can no longer sew, 
perhaps go blind altogether. I often 
think of it, Mrs. Mulrooney, and pray 
over it, too.” 

“And why don’t ye sthop and take a 
bit of rest?” 

“Sometimes I think I will, but it is all 
I can do by constant work to pay rent 
and get us a little of fire in winter and 
enough food, so we are not hungry, and 
clothes to cover us. But my Book says, 

‘ Having food and raiment, let us be there- 


SETTING UP IN BUSINESS. 


123 


with content.’ I do try to trust it all 
with the Lord. I know he will do what 
is best, and even if he takes my sight, he 
can be eyes to the blind, and will yet 
provide for me, but sometimes, when I sit 
sewing alone, I get quite desponding.” 

“And well you may, and there is that 
big .son of yours, that tniglit support you 
dacently, leaves the load of his own keep- 
in’ on your shoulders. I’d like to know, 
take it all in all the world over, if it ain’t 
the women does the most work and sup- 
ports the men ?” 

A look of pain passed over Mary’s 
fixce. “If I could only get Rick away 
from the city !” she said. 

“You and I are sailing in the same 
boat,” said Bridget, bluffly. “There’s no 
need for our trying to hide our tough 
times from t’other. I know what you 
have to put up with, knowing what I 
have to go through myself. Only you 
don’t get sass from the whisky-sellers, 


124 THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 

like I do, for you don’t go to bring your 
trouble home.” 

“ I used to, but that is the one thing 
that makes Rick angry, and he goes off 
and stays several days.” 

“Well, I came to relave me mind by 
telling yees me throubles all along of 
Ann Wheeler. I had it in my mind to 
give her a good pounding, but me Angel 
says no ;” and Mrs. Mulrooney gave an 
account of her expedition to the grog- 
shop. After exhausting her vocabulary 
of all the expletives and ill wishes that 
she dared to utter to Mary, Mrs. Mulroo- 
ney went on : “ Don’t tell me no Uniwersal- 
er preachin’; I’m down on that. I know 
pretty well ’bout all sorts of preachers. 
Mistress Ware, for I lived two years in a 
parson’s family when I was out to ser- 
vice. Now, them Uniwersalers says every- 
body’ll get to glory. Don’t tell me no 
such. Why if Ann Wheeler and a grist 
of them distillers and license- men was took 


SETTING UP IN BUSINESS. 


125 


into heaven, there’s plenty of decent 
bodies, like you and me. Mistress Ware, 
that wouldn't go in. Why, Ann Wheeler 
herself is enough to turn glory into a 
grogshop.” 

Here Mary got a chance to speak : 

“I’m no Universalist, Mrs. Mulrooney, 
for my Book tells me that he who don’t 
believe in Jesus shall not be saved. Our 
dying is not going to cleanse away our 
sins ; it is the dying of Jesus once for all 
those who trust him, that is going to 
make us holy. Very^truly: as you say, 
there’s no oneness between sinners and 
heaven, and I doubt if they’d be hapj^y 
even there. Yet I do believe that the 
blood of Christ is sufficient to .cleanse all 
sin — to make Ann Wheeler herself pure.” 

“I don't^' broke in Bridget, not mean- 
ing irreverence. 

“I know it is, for it has cleansed my 
soul,” said Mary, solemnly. 

“Oh, woman! and ye don’t go to put 


126 THE NEW YOKK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


yourself on a level wid that rapscallion 
of an Ann Wheeler ! "What would save 
you wouldn’t be enough to save her. 
Some linen’s fouler nor other, and Ann 
is like the foulest of all.” . 

“But soap and water will cleanse the 
foul linen,” began Mary. 

“Och, but it takes more of it!” re- 
torted Bridget ; and Mary, who was wad- 
ing, into discussion beyond her depth, 
prudently returned toward plain sayings 
and left similes : “ My Book tells me the 
blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from 
all sin.” But Bridget had struck a fine 
lead, and would not be called off: “More 
of it, and boiling too, Mary, does foul 
linen need, and boiling or baking, it’s 
something of that kind does Ann need.” 

“Here is a solemn question, Bridget,” 
said Mary, earnestly: “have we neglected 
or rejected Christ? That is the heaviest 
sin that can be; all other sins are to it 
like little brooks running out of a big 


SETTING UP IN BUSINESS. 


127 


lake. Now, if we do not repent and take 
Christ as our Saviour, we deserve punish- 
ment just as much as Ann Wheeler. 
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be 
saved, is the word, and Jesus came to 
save sinners.” 

“You’re drawing too hard lines for 
yourself, Mary,” said Bridget, coolly leav- 
ing her own case out of the question. 
“Don’t tell me you’re like Ann Wheeler, 
or need as much to save you, or will be 
lost barrin’ all believin’. No, Mary. I 
know good, decent folks like you and me 
can slip into heaven quiet-like, and the 
ministers and Mistress Warren and me 
Angel can get in and welcome ; but such 
as Ann ain’t to set foot there.” 

“You are a good mother and a kind 
neighbor, and an example to the neigh- 
borhood for thrift, Mrs. Mulrooney, and 
yet you are far from the right way. I 
hope the Lord will show you his truth — ” 

“Come, come, Mistress Ware, it’s time 


128 


THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


we were both in bed. Good- night to you. 
I wish your boy was home. But don’t 
fret ; maybe something will turn up to 
make a sober lad of him yet ; don’t lose 
heart.” 

Mary would not lose heart. She put 
by her work, read a verse or two of Scrip- 
ture and knelt in prayer. Prayer was 
much to Mary. When all the streams 
of human comfort failed her, there was 
yet a full supply flowing to her fainting 
spirit from the Throne of Grace. She 
waited on the Lord, and he increased her 
strength. 


CHAPTER V. 


THE BIBLE-WOMAN. 


IlITH joyful hearts, while Angel 
talked with her mother at the 
baking-table, did Rose and Billy 
^ in their own home put the tray of 
candy, with its blue fringe, on a shelf in 
the closet, well out of harm’s way, they 
thought. They looked on it as the found- 
ation of Billy’s fortune — the first rung of 
the ladder whose toj^most step was some 
palace for fruit and confectionery, such as 
dazzled their eyes and tantalized their 
hungry mouths when they ventured into 
Broadway. Early the next morning they 
were awake ; their mother was going to 
work that day for Mrs. Warren, and was 
lighting the fire. Billy, as soon as dress- 
ed, went for a look at his tray. He did 


130 THE NEW YORK BIBLE- WOMAN. ^ 

not mean to produce it until his mother 
had left, for the whole affair was to be 
kept a profound secret from her until 
they had money to show her. 

JN’o sooner had Billy glanced at his 
board than he gave a cry of dismay. 
Rose ran into the closet to see what was 
the matter, and lo ! nearly half the tray 
was empty. Their grief was too great 
for silence. They came from the closet. 
“It was Lizzie, I know it was!” cried 
Rose; and going to where Lizzie slept, 
at the foot of their mother’s bed, sure 
enough, the child’s face 'was daubed with 
molasses, her hair sticky, and a half- 
melted fragment of candy was yet in her 
hand. 

“ What’s the matter?” cried Margaret, 
looking up from the stove, where she 
was trying to blow her kindlings into a 
blaze. 

“A lady gave us a quarter,” explained 
Rose, “and Mrs. Mulrooney made us 


THE BIBLE-WOMAN. 


131 


candy to sell, and here’s Lizzie, the hate- 
ful thing! eaten half of it up.” 

True enough, Lizzie the sharp had dis- 
covered the candy secret, and felt that 
now was the time to take her fill of 
sweets. She had feigned slumber, and 
with wonderful decision had kept herself 
awake until the rest of the family were 
asleep, when she had risen and eaten as 
much as she could. The loud voices near 
her roused her, and she sat up, apparently 
entirely interested in opening the hand, 
so covered with candy. 

“ Dear me ! what a child she is !” said 
Margaret, in her listless way. “But 
what ever did you think of selling candy 
for? Children can’t make anything; bet- 
ter have kept your money to buy your- 
self something. But,” she added, as she 
saw her two elder children standing close 
together, miserable little companions in 
afifliction, and sobbing in a broken-hearted 
way, “ never mind ; sell that, and maybe 


132 THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


you’ll get your money back. I’d whip 
Lizzie, if I thought it would do her any 
good.” 

But Billy’s tears had spent themselves; 
he flashed into a rage : “ Children can 
help themselves ; they can make money ; 
lots of them do it, and I will. I’ll be a 
man, and I’ll take care of Rose ; and if I 
can’t do well staying here at home. I’ll 
run away. If Lizzie steals my candy or 
my money again. I’ll whip her : see if I 
don’t !” 

Margaret began to cry, and Rose inter- 
posed : “ ISFo, Billy, you won’t run away. 
Don’t make mother feel bad. You ain’t 
talking as Mary would say was good. 
Let’s get breakfast, and you go sell what 
you’ve got.” 

“Well, you needn’t cry, mother,” said 
Billy, relenting. “ I ain’t angry at you ; 
only at Lizzie.” 

“I don’t never have no candy nor good 
things, and I think it was real mean of 


THE BIBLE-WOMAN. 


133 


you, selling to other folks and not giving 
me any,” cried Lizzie. 

“ Don’t you try it again,” said Billy, 
angrily, Avliile Rose put the tray away.' 
Altogether, it was a very uncomfortable 
breakfast. The day was bright and sun- 
ny, and Billy’s spirits rose as he went out 
to sell his candy. Margaret, leaving her 
children at their meal, went to Mrs. War- 
ren’s. In her pleasure at working for 
her benefactress and earning something, 
she lost from her face the shadow of her 
morning’s troubles. Lizzie ran off into 
the street, and Rose was left to set the 
room in order and take care of the little 
children. 

Mrs. Wishalow and Mary Ware had 
lately been trying to teach Rose how to 
do her work well, but this morning the 
sunshine looked tempting, even in Sulli- 
van street, and Rose wanted to get out to 
talk over her troubles with Mary. Hence 
she was inclined to slight her work, apolo- 
12 


134 THE NEW YOEK BIBLE- WOMAN. 


gizing to herself by saying she must get 
out to look after Lizzie. Very happily 
for Rose, little Angel Mulrooney came 
climbing up the stairs and entered the 
room. After a few minutes she said, 
quietly, “I don’t think you’re sweeping 
your room very nice. Rose.” 

“Oh well, it ciuii’t matter; nobody’ll 
see it to-day,” said Rose. 

“Yes, God will,” replied Angel, posi- 
tively. 

“ He won’t care,” suggested the sweeper. 

“He does care. Rose, for every little 
thing ; Mary Ware said so, and she said 
verses from the Bible to me about it. 
One is, ‘Whatsoever thy hand findeth *to 
do, do it with thy might,’ or like that; 
and another, ‘Not with eye-service as men 
pleasers, but with singleness of heart as 
unto God.’ Mother often says, ‘What’s 
worth doing is worth doing well,’ and 
that’s what makes our house so nice, you 
know. Yow, Rose, if you get a habit of 


THE BIBLE-WOMAN. 


135 


doing things carelessly, you’ll be careless 
all your life.” 

A small teacher, indeed, was Angel, 
perched on a chair with her feet resting 
on the front rung. 

“Well,” said Rose, going vigorously 
into cracks and corners with her broom, 
“I will sweep better, but I was in a 
hurry to get out to talk to Mrs. Ware. 
Lizzie served us such a mean trick last 
night.” 

“Now, Rose,” said Angel the wise, “if 
I was you” (for our Angel was not versed 
in. English grammar), “I’d scrub that 
table with ashes, and I’d wash that window 
Derry is streaking, and dust everything 
nice. And don’t you see. Rose, those 
quilts are on crooked ? they’d look better 
straight.” 

“What a fuss you are!” said Rose, 
but not unkindly, and she straightened 
the quilts. 

“Mother says- I’m her little house- 


136 THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


keeper, and it’s her praise if I’m neat,” 
said x\ngel. “Say, Rose, would you like 
to he like Judy Flinn ?” 

“When I get big? No,” said Rose, 
indignantly. 

“Judy ain’t at all nice; she’s ragged 
and dirty, and runs about barefoot, with 
a- dirty baby or so, talking at all the win- 
dows ; and her room looks — oh my ! you 
can’t think how!” said Angel, graphi- 
cally. 

“1 wouldn’t be her for the world,” 
cried Rose. 

“Well, now. Rose,” said Angel, sol- 
emnly, “Mrs. Ware says she’s so now 
’cause she was so when she was young, 
and wouldn’t stay home and do things 
nice, but run about all ,the time. Now, 
Rose, don’t you think when you hurry 
here to run off with baby and Dermot, 
you’re a little like Judy?” 

Here was a home-thrust, and Rose was 
silent. 


THE BIBLE-WOMAN. 


137 


if I was you, Rose,” proceeded 
Angel, “I’d stay home, and clean and 
sew, and take good care of the children ; 
and I’d go out sometimes, as clean as I 
could, and see folks like folks : that’s how 
I’d do. I don’t say this all out of my 
own head. Rose, ’cause I don’t know so 
much, only Mrs. Ware told me. She 
says you might make real blessings of 
baby and Derry.” 

“I couldn’t of Lizzie, that’s sure,” 
said Rose, scouring her table, and at once 
poured forth the tale of her sister’s mis- 
doings. When she had finished, Angel 
said, “We must tell Mary about it, for 
she knows how to make bad ones good. 
Now I’ve got my new basket here, and 
we’ll sit and sew and mind the children, 
as we will when we’re grown-up women.” 

Meanwhile, Billy went from street to 
street crying his candy, hlis face and 
hands were clean and his hair smooth ; he 
had a frank, intelligent face and a pleas- 


138 THE NEW YOKK BIBLE- WOMAN. 

ant voice, and opened his candy business 
with much success. Toward noon, as he 
came home with his money jingling in 
his pocket, he saw a stout young man 
leaning against a lamp-post and evidently 
intoxicated. “There,” said Billy to him- 
self, “is Rick Ware drunk again! My! 
won’t his mother feel bad !” Here Rick 
spied Billy. “Hillo, Billy!” he cried, 
come here — don’t be afraid. Are you sell- 
ing candy? ’Lasses candy — oh, good 
’lasses candy, is it? Got just three sticks ; 
hold on, Billy. I’ll give you a lift ; I’ll 
buy them sticks ; I’m rich. Here, Billy, 
give us the candy, and here’s a quarter ; 
don’t want no change, Billy ; I’m rich.” 
He took the three sticks of candy, crowded 
one into his mouth, gave one to an urchin 
near, and in maudlin folly put the third 
in his hat, amid the hoots and cheers of 
a gang of small boys. 

“My eye! won’t your hair be sticky!” 
cried one. 


THE BIBLE-WOMAN. 


139 


“No room for it there — got a brick 
there already,” said No. 2. 

“Gone to keep the brick company,” 
said a third. 

“Come home, Rick,” said Billy. 

“Can’t; I’m ’shamed to walk with a 
candy-boy. Go ’long ; got business with 
the mayor — goin’ to write a letter to 
Queen Victory, I am.” 

Billy went on to Mary’s room. “Your 
son got three sticks of me, Miss Ware,” 
said Billy, “and he gave me this, and 1 
thought you’d better have the change.” 

“Thank you,” said Mary ; “it will buy 
his supper.” 

Billy had twenty-five cents now, and 
was ready for more candy and a second 
day in the street pursuing his business. 

That afternoon Mrs. Warren called on 
Mary and engaged her to act as Bible- 
woman. . 

“You must send back that sewing and 
get at better work,” said the lady. “Your 


140 THE YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


salary is now secure. I can pay you for 
one quarter in advance, if you wish.” 

“ I’d rather have it each month as I 
earn it, madam,” said Mary. 

“ She’s afraid to keep much money 
where her son can lay hands on it,” said 
Prussia, bluntly. 

“ But you might lay in stores of fuel 
and provisions, and buy to better advan- 
tage by getting considerable at a time.” 

“ Poor folks ha’n’t any place to keep 
much on hand,” said Prussia, without 
giving Mary time to speak ; “ and it 
would be all one, money or provisions, 
if Rick got hold of it. There’s plenty of 
folks that’ll give whisky as fast for stuff 
as for money.” 

Mary’s eyes filled with tears. “ Indeed, 
madam,” she said, “ you will think me a 
very poor person to go about teaching in 
the neighborhood, when my own son is so 
far from right. My husband’s father, 
ma’am, had a nice little farm, and he 


THE BIBLE-WOMAN. 


141 


promised, if Rick went to live with him, 
it should be Rick’s. I thought it wrong 
to give up my only child, ma’am, and to 
those who would spoil him by letting him 
have his own way, and who wouldn’t give 
him any Bible-teaching. Besides, it 
didn’t look right to me that Rick should 
have all the farm, and the other grand- 
children get none. But my husband 
liked the plan, and let the boy go. I 
think Rick loved his mother always; but 
he was spoiled, sure enough ; and my 
husband and his parents died, and Rick 
got the farm. He had gone wild, ma’am, 
and he sold the farm, and olf here to the 
city for three years. I kept at home and 
sewed for a living, and could hear noth- 
ing of Rick, until at last news came of 
Rick sick and his money all gone. I 
came here and took care of him. I man- 
aged to get work, and hire this room and 
fit it out with what few things I brought 
from home; and so it has been twelve 


142 THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 

years, ma’am. My Rick is thirty-five, 
ma’am. One while he repents and 
promises to do better, and works a bit, 
and then he’s ofp again, and so it goes. 
Many is the prayer I’ve prayed for Rick, 
and oh the tears I’ve shed over him, 
ma’am !” and Mary bowed her head and 
sobbed aloud. 

That good, gray head bent with sorrow 
and shame for a straying child was a 
touching sight. Mrs. Warren wept, and 
even Prussia wondered where was the 
eye of her needle, and furtively wiped 
her face with her apron. 

As said the good man to the mother of 
Augustine, so said Mrs. Warren to Mary: 
“ Take courage ; it cannot be that the 
child of such prayers and tears should 
perish.” 

“ When I look at my boy,” said Mary, 
forcing back her tears, “and see how he’s 
all gone wrong for want of right training 
when he was little, you can’t think how 


THE BIBLE-WOMAN. 


143 


it makes me want to teach and help the 
children. I want to save other mothers’ 
hearts, if mine is broken. And the chil- 
dren are such easy ground to work I 
Why, there are Rose and Angel ; how 
readily they learn, especially Angel ! 
She’s a gracious child, is Angel.” 

“ Well, Mrs. Ware, work all' you can 
among the children ; and if you see any- 
thing that needs money to set right, just 
tell me at once, and I will see about it. 
I shall expect to hear close reports about 
the families you visit, and how they re- 
ceive you, and what you are doing for 
them.” 

After Mrs. Warren had gone, Mary 
finished the last overcoat she had in 
hand and took her work back to the 
store. When she came home she was 
ready for her new work at once. She 
had been thinking of it during her walk. 
But an unpleasant duty lay before her. 
Mrs. Warren had said, “ I shall pay you 


/ 

144 THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


enoiigli, Mrs. Ware, so that you will not 
need to rent Miss Wiggins the privilege 
of sitting in* your room. You need now 
to have the room to yourself, so that if 
j)eople wish to come here to you for com- 
fort and advice, they can do so and find 
you alone. They would not wish to speak 
of some things before Miss Wiggins, 
which they might need to mention to 
you. Miss Wiggins is quite unpleasant 
in her ways. Besides, I wish you to 
have a sewing-school here two afternoons 
in a week, and a little class for poor wo- 
men on Sunday afternoon ; and I do not 
want Miss Wiggins to think she has any 
right to interfere with it. Let her come 
to see you if she chooses, and do her all 
the good you can.” 

After this, of course, Mary must re- 
quest Prussia to find some other place to 
work. She did it as politely and kindly 
as possible, explained Mrs. Warren’s 
plans, and the need there was of having 


THE BIBLE- WOMAN. 


145 


the room to herself; but Prussia was 
furious. She abused Mary, called Mrs. 
Warren names, mocked at religion, Bible- 
women and all the good Mary hoped to 
do. She accused Mary of treachery and 
ingratitude, and succeeded in making the 
poor woman very unhappy ; and finally 
gathered up her possessions and departed, 
vowing never to speak to Mary Ware 
again. 

Mary sighed over Prussia, asked a lit- 
tle boy to go and tell Lizzie Wishalow 
that she had an apple for her, and then 
set about clearing up her room. While 
she was doing this, Lizzie put her head 
into the door, but at once withdrew it. 
Lizzie was not fond of Mary, and now 
her love of apples was hardly sufiicient 
to bring her into Mary’s room. 

“Come in,” said Mary, pleasantly, 
“and get your nice apple. I’m very 
glad to see you ; have you had a nice 
time playing to-day ?” 

13 K 


146 THE NEW YORK BIBLE- WOMAN. 


“ISTo,” said Lizzie, sulkily, “I hain’t.” 

“That is a pity ; what was the matter ?” 
asked Mary. 

“Everything,” said Lizzie, crossly; 
“everybody’s got more things than me, 
and nobody likes me. Some girls is rich 
as Jews, and I’m so awful poor.” 

“Is that so?” said Mary. “I once 
knew a little girl as poor as you who 
was very rich at the same time.” 

“Land a goody !” said Lizzie ; “did she 
find a bag of money?” • Lizzie had 
perched- herself in Prussia’s deserted 
chair, and had her apple in her hand. 

“Why, the way about the little girl 
was,” said Mary, “that she found a Father 
who was richer than anybody that ever 
lived.” 

“Was he her very own father?” asked 
Lizzie. 

“ He adopted her,” replied Mary. “ I’d 
like to tell you that story, but it is so 
long I must wait till Sunday. You may 


THE BIBLE-WOMAN. 


147 


come to hear it Sunday afternoon, and 
bring whoever yon like with you.” 

“What, JS’orah Wheeler?” 

“Yes, poor little IS'orah; I wish she 
would come.” 

“Yorah has horrid times, her mother’s 
so hateful ; she knocks her right down. 
She makes her beg too.” 

“Poor little thing! she looks so miser- 
able and frightened always, I pity her,” 
said Mary. “You see, Lizzie, how much 
worse off she is than you are. What do 
you want most of anything, Lizzie ?” 

“Money,” said Lizzie, promptly. 

“ And how do you mean to get it,” said 
Mary, who, having finished her room; sat 
down to some mending for Rick. 

“I dunno,” said Lizzie, sullenly. 

“Don’t you intend to go to school, 
Lizzie?” 

“Mam says she’s going to earn me 
clothes this summer, and start me in the 
winter, and make me go right ahead.” 


148 THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


“And until then you mean to run 
about the streets ?” 

“I guess so,” said Lizzie, munching 
the apple. 

“Do you like it?” asked Mary. 

“JSTo, I don’t like nuffin’,” said Lizzie, 
who had a great deal of her mother’s 
indifference. 

“Lizzie,” said Mary, “I think you’d 
better go into business and earn some 
money.” 

“How?” said Lizzie, waking up to 
interest. 

“Well, you must have a little bag to 
keep money in ; then you must have a 
box hung to your neck by a tape, and the 
box will be full of roasted peanuts. 
When Billy goes out with candy, you 
must go beside him with peanuts.” 

“He won’t let me,” said Lizzie. 

“I’ll see to that.” 

“But I hain’t no money to set out 
with.” 


THE BIBLE-WOMAN. 


149 


“I’ll see to that,” said Mary. 

“Oh, do you truly mean I can do it? 
Go out sellino- and earn money all by 
myself?” 

“Yes, ‘if’ two or three things.” 

“What ‘if?’” asked Lizzie. 

“Well, if you will always let Rose 
make you clean and tidy before you go 
out?” 

“Yes, I will,” said Lizzie. 

“And if you’ll always stay by Billy, 
and not leave him or quarrel with him ?” 

“I’ll do that !” said Lizzie, more doubt- 
fully. 

“And if you will always trade fair, and 
never cheat, but be a real honest little 
woman — ” 

“We-11 — I — will,” said Lizzie, slowly. 

“My plan for you is, that to-morrow 
you come here to my sewing-school and 
make a little money-bag. I will talk to 
Billy and your mother, and get your box 
and nuts; and Saturday night you shall 


150 THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 

roast your nuts here, and on Monday 
morning you can start out with Billy to 
sell.” 

“And the money will he all my very 
own to keep, and use just the way I like?” 

“ Yes,” said Mary, “ after you have 
paid your debts; of course you want to 
pay them first?” 

“What debts?” asked Lizzie. 

“Well, there’s the penny you took from 
Billy; of course you feel badly about that, 
and want to pay him?” 

Lizzie hung her head. 

“Then you want to pay him for his 
candy that you ate. And you’ll want to 
pay me for the peanuts — ” 

“Dear!” cried Lizzie, angrily; “’tain’t 
no use talking. It’ll be pay, pay, all the 
time, and I’ll never get nothing for my- 
self.” 

“ Oh yes ; we will manage this way : 
each night you come to me, and we will 
divide your money into four parts ; one 


THE BIBLE-WOMAN. 


151 


part to pay your debts, two parts to buy 
fresh nuts, and one part for yourself, to 
buy what you like.” 

Lizzie looked brighter: “I’ll do it.” 

“And you remember all you promised?” 

“All what?” asked Lizzie. 

“To be neat and clean. 

“To keep by Billy. 

“Not to quarrel. 

^‘To be honest. 

“To pay your debts.” 

“Yes,” said Lizzie, “I will.” 

“To-morrow, then, come here to my 
sewing-school ; and bring Norah Wheel- 
er, if she can come.” 

Mary regarded Lizzie’s departures from 
honesty in the matter of the candy and 
the penny as very serious errors; she 
took the way of bringing the child into 
the right path that she deemed best suit- 
ed to the circumstances. Lizzie had al- 
ready taken steps in that rapidly-descend- 
ing road that fills houses of correction, 


152 


THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


penitentiary and prison. Mary was hold- 
ing out a hand to turn her into the right 
way, the path of virtue and happiness. 

Lizzie might very fairly be regarded 
as an unpleasant child. She was selfish, 
sullen, untruthful, dishonest — a fair speci- 
men of street-training. It was generally 
supposed that Lizzie cared for nobody. 
She disobeyed and mocked her mother, 
and quarreled with her brothers and sis- 
ters. Yet there was a soft spot in Lizzie’s 
heart; she was capable of pity, and her 
pity had grown to love. Of this love and 
its object, of its many queer and often 
pitiful outworkings, no one but the object 
of her tenderness knew. But now the 
keen, wise eyes of Mary Ware were to be 
on her, and this her best trait, and the 
best point to touch her and rouse her to 
goodness, would soon be seen. 

Early the next day Mary began her 
visits in her neighborhood. Her first 
etfort was to get some girls into her sew- 


THE BIBLE- WOMAN. 


153 


ing-school. Mrs. Warren had told Mary 
that she would provide calico and factory 
for the girls to make garments, which, 
when neatly finished, were to be their 
own. Those parents who could furnish 
material for the clothing of their children 
were to have the privilege of having their 
children instructed in the school. Mrs. 
Mulrooney and Margaret Wish alow were 
glad to buy material and send it with 
Rose and Angel to Mary’s school. Liz- 
zie came with a bit of red flannel for her 
money-bag, and IN^orah Wheeler and the 
red-headed Nolan twins came without 
anything but their dirty fingers with 
which to do the Avork. 

Mary had ready a basin of Avater, soap 
and a towel. Mrs. Warren had sent her 
two long benches, and also a box of nee- 
dles, thread, tape and buttons, with the 
promised cloth. 

Mrs. Ware had not dared venture to 
Ann Wheeler’s to ask Norah’s presence 


154 THE NEW YOEK BIBLE-WOMAN. 

at the sewing-school. The invitation had 
been given by Lizzie, who was Nor ah’s 
only friend. Poor Norah was Mrs. 
Wheeler’s only child, and seemed the 
especial object of her mother’s dislike. 
Abusive words- and blows were Norah’s 
portion. Half the time thrust out of the 
miserable den she called home to sleep in 
the streets, and always compelled to beg 
her daily food from door to door, Norah 
was as wretched an object as was to be 
found in the city. 

Whatever of love and sympathy there 
was in Lizzie’s heart had been drawn out 
to Norah. On this day Lizzie had ar- 
ranged with Norah to go to Mary’s, and 
for nearly an hour after noon loitered 
about the grogshop door, waiting for 
Norah to join her. Norah was unfortu- 
nately waiting on her mother’s customers, 
and, when Lizzie’s patience was nearly 
exhausted, had helped a palsied old toper 
spill a glass of gin. This accident roused 


THE BIBLE-WOMAN. 


155 


all the drunken mother’s fury. She seiz • 
ed the child, beat her violently, dragged 
her to the door, and threw her from it 
with such force that the child fell into the 
gutter. 

Lizzie, watching for her friend, came 
•to the rescue. She helped the sobbing 
Norah to rise, and led her quickly away 
from the vicinity of the grogshop. 

“ Oh dear ! you’re all wet and mud ; 
and did she hurt you, I^orah?” 

^‘Oh yes,” groaned Norah; “and now 
I hain’t no more clothes, and I can’t go 
’long with you, and I feel so bad — ” 

“Xever mind,” said Lizzie; “come to 
the pump, and I’ll pump water on you 
and get you clean ; it’ll be ’most fun ; and 
then we’ll take off your frock and wash 
that at the pump, and wring it good; and 
you can come along, and it’ll dry on you.” 

“ But all the girls will laugh at me,” 
said Norah, who, despite her hard life, 
was sensitive. 


156 


THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


“If they do, I’ll scratch their eyes out!” 
said Lizzie. Accordingly, Lizzie pumped 
water on Norah until her hair was drench- 
ing wet, her face and arms in a streaked, 
half-clean condition, and the dress which 
had been washed and wrung by the unit- 
ed efforts of the children was wet enough, 
and not much cleaner than before. In 
this forlorn state JSTorah slipped into 
Mary’s room close behind Lizzie, and sat 
down on a corner of a bench by the wall, 
with Lizzie beside her, kindly spreading 
her scanty skirt as far as ]3ossible over 
Norah’s lap, to hide all defects. The 
other girls came in one by one and took 
their seats, while Mary at her table was 
finishing, cutting and basting the articles 
to be sewn. 

Presently Martha Nolan spied Norah, 
and began pointing her fingers, making 
signs of wringing her hair and clothes, 
and otherwise taking notice of her con- 
dition. Up spoke Lizzie, briskly: “If 


THE BIBLE-WOMAN. 


157 


you make fun of JS'orah, Mat Nolan, I’ll 
scratch your face.” 

“ Then we’ll whip you,” said Martha’s 
twin sister, Bess. 

“ Then you may,” said Lizzie, prompt- 
ly ; “ I’ll scratch you anyhow.” 

“Hush! hush, children! speak kindly; 
don’t quarrel; what is the matter?” said 
Mary, turning quickly. 

“ They’re funning ’bout Norah, and 
they sha’n’t,” said Lizzie. 

Mary looked closely at Norah. “Why, 
what is the matter here?” she asked: 

“ this child is drenching wet.” She sat 
down and drew Norah toward her. 

“The old woman whipped her and 
flung her in the gutter, and I washed her 
at the pump,” explained Lizzie. 

Bess Nolan tittered. Lizzie showed 
signs of executing the threat of “ scratch- 
ing.” 

“Don’t, my child,” said Mary, grasp- ' 
ing her arm. “You are a kind friend to 

14 


158 THE NEW YOEK BIBLE-AVOMAN. 


JSTorah, and I love you for it. Bess, if 
you were JN^orah, you wouldn’t like to be 
laughed at.” 

“I JN’orah,” said Bess. 

“But you might be.” 

“JN’o, I mightn’t; my mother don’t sell 
whisky.” 

Norah’s face Avas boAved doAvn, and she 
cried bitterly. 

“Norah,” said Mary, “I must take off 
this Avet dress, and wash and dry it for 
you. I Avill wrap you up in my shaAvl 
while I do it.” 

Norah did not reply, but bent her head 
loAver still and held her wretched gar- 
ment close about her. 

“She don’t Avant to take ’em off,” vol- 
unteered Lizzie, “’cause she’s all rags, 
and her old Avoman’s been a-pounding of 
her.” 

“Do not mind it,” said Mary, gently; 
“you will be sick if you sit here so Avet. 
Think how nicely your dress will look all 


THE BIBLE-WOMAN. 


159 


washed and ironed, and I will mend* it 
too; and see, here is. plenty of factory; 
I will cut you out some clothes and help 
you make them.” Angel and Rose were 
already busy on the work they had 
brought. The two Nolans were eyeing 
Norah curiously, and Lizzie valiantly 
stood close to her forlorn friend. 

Mary reached a comb from a high 
shelf and carefully combed the water 
from Norah’s hair. She then took off 
the child’s dripping dress. Norah had 
on under her dress but one garment, 
which might rather be called an assem- 
blage of tatters. A worn out and cast- 
off piece of clothing of her mother, it 
hung in rags over her thin form, the 
red and bruised flesh showing pitifully 
between the soiled shreds of muslin. 
Mary’s heart ached over the poor child, 
and she wrapped her own coarse shawl 
about her and lifted her upon the bench 
in her former place. Then Angel, who 


160 THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


had been apparently unobservant of what 
was passing, rose, walked quietly over to 
IN’orah, and, clasping her arms about her 
neck, kissed her. Norah had stopped 
crying, but now began again. 

^‘Why, don’t cry for tUatr exclaimed 
Lizzie; “she means good to you. Angel, 
you’re j ust as good as you can be ! She’s 
been ’bused so she don’t know how to 
act,” added N^orah’s little patroness, apolo- 
getically. 

“Mrs. Ware, please may I put by my 
sewing and help you on Norah’s, so’s she 
can have something to put on?” said 
Angel. 

“And I will too,” added Rose. 

“I can’t sew good enough, but we won’t 
fun about her no more,” said Bess JN'olan ; 
and Martha, fishing in her pocket for 
a while, produced a suspicious-looking 
lozenge, which she presented to Worah as 
a peace-offering. By all these good words 
and ways Norah was comforted. Mary 


THE BIBLE-WOMAN. 


161 


from long necessity had learned to do 
several things at once ; so now she super- 
intended the sewing, chatted pleasantly 
to the children, and at the same time 
washed Norah’s frock and hung it out to 
dry. She talked to Rose and Angel about 
attending mission school. As there was 
some hope of their going regularly, the 
iN’olans spoke quite contemptuously of 
mission school, but kindly accepted an 
invitation from Mary to come and visit 
her and look at pictures. 

“Will you tell us the story of the gal 
what got ’dopted by the rich ’un ?” asked 
Lizzie. 

“Yes, I’ll be sure and tell that,” said 
Mary.^ 

Mary begged the privilege of heating 
two irons by Mrs. Mulrooney’s baking- 
fire to iron JN^orah’s dress. She, with 
Rose and Angel, worked vigorously at 
JN’orah’s sewing until nearly six o’clock; 
then the girls all went home, except 

14* L 


162 THE NEW YOEK BIBLE- WOMAN. 


Norah, leaving Mary still sewing with 
nimble fingers. Mary soon finished her 
work and ironed the dress ; she then 
prepared a tub of warm water and gave 
Nor ah a thorough bath. 

“Dear me!” said Norah, with a sigh, 
“how good I feel in clean things! I alius 
did want to be clean, but what’s the use 
of tryin’ to hum? I wisht I was your 
girl.” 

Mrs. Warren, when sending, down sup- 
plies for the sewing school, had sent a 
little basket of smoked beef, biscuit and 
honey for Mary. Mary now thought of 
this, and invited JSTorah to stay to tea 
with her. The good woman always set 
her table neatly, covering it with a little 
cloth. Norah looked on with delighted 
eyes. All being ready, the two sat down, 
but just then the door opened and Angel 
entered, leading Richard Ware. 

“I saw him in the street,” she ex- 
plained, “and I asked him to come home ; 


THE BIBLE-WOMAN. 


163 


he was getting all mud and dust ; it made 
me think of father.” The tears came 
into her large dark eyes as she led Rich- 
ard to a chair and asked him to take off 
his coat. 

“I always wash father’s face and wet 
his head, and that brings him to,” sug- 
gested Angel. Mrs. Ware was not used 
to these offices ; some remorse seemed 
ever busy in Richard’s heart that made 
him dislike his mother near him when 
he was drunk. He pushed her away now 
as she approached him, but passed his 
hand over Angel’s hair, as if admiring 
its color and smoothness. Angel was a 
queer, quiet, helpful little creature, and 
she coolly took the basin of water and 
waited on Richard as she did on her 
father. The poor fellow seemed pleased, 
and indeed the cold water so far roused 
him that he followed her suggestion about 
having some supper, and sat down to the 
table. The neatness and cheerfulness of 


164 THE NEW YOEK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


everything evidently impressed him pleas- 
antly ; he ate and drank, spoke kindly to 
his. mother, sat by the window for a 
while, and then went to bed nearly sober. 
IS'orah, after getting her tea, stayed long 
enough to help Mary wash the dishes, 
and then prepared to go away. Mary 
supposed of course she was going home. 
She took her hand; “Norah, do you 
know who will be your friend in every 
trouble?” 

“Yes, Lizzie will,” said JSTorah. 

“Somebody better than Lizzie.” 

“Mebby you’d be,” said Yorah. 

“Yes, surely. But I meant some one 
better. I mean God.” 

“I dunno him,” said Norah. 

“The great God who made all things 
will love you and take care of you, if 
you pray to him, ISTorah.” 

“/can’t pray,” said Yorah. 

“Say this little prayer night and morn- 
ing, Norah, and I hope soon you will 


THE BIBLE-WOMAN. 


165 


learn more of God. Say, ‘Please, God, 
take care of JN'orah.’” 

“Yes, I will,” said Yorah, whispering 
it over to herself. She went out into the 
street, where the lamps were just being 
lit, wandered up and down for a while, 
and then crept into a box standing by the 
walk, spread her clean clothes as smoothly 
as possible, wrapped her hands in the 
folds of her dress to keep them warm, 
and fell asleep, as forlorn a specimen of 
a nine-year-old girl as any one could find. 
She said her prayer as Mary had told 
her before she slept ; and meanwhile, at 
home, Mary was praying for her, and as 
she glanced into the recess where was 
Richard’s bed, Mary prayed for Angel 
too. While the sad mother prayed in 
heart for her sinning son, she also worked, 
cleaning his clothes, rubbing the mud 
from his shoes, and placing near his bed 
clean shirt and socks and his hat well 
mended. 


166 THE NEW YORK BIBLE- WOMAN. 


It was a new thing for Richard Ware 
to awake sober. He looked a little 
ashamed as he sat down to breakfast; 
his mother, however, was very cheerful. 

I must tell you I’m in a new business, 
Richard,” she said — “a deal easier busi- 
ness than coat-making, and a very good 
and blessed business. I’m Bible-woman 
for this part of the city, and am to spend 
my time reading and teaching, and help- 
ing the poor. I’d like to begin the day 
well with you, my son, and read a chapter 
and pray, as I used to do when you came, 
to see me when you were an innocent 
little boy.” 

Richard made no reply, but did not 
start to go away. Mrs. Ware took the 
Bible and found the place. Just then 
Angel came in, for the ceremony of 
knocking was unknown in that neighbor- 
hood. “I want to see Mr. Ware,” she 
said, “but if you’re going to read, I’d 
life to listen;” so she went and stood by 


THE BIBLE- WOMAN. 


167 


Richard’s side, with her hand laid on his 
arm, Richard looking well pleased. 

“ I wonder if you could get a day’s 
work, son Richard?” said Mary, .when 
devotions were over. 

“I’m out of work,” said Richard, 
gruffly. “Folks can’t pick up a day’s 
work whenever they like.” This was 
triie, and Mary felt hopeless ; but Billy 
had come in to tell how well his candy 
was selling, and he exclaimed, “You can 
get work now, Rick. Come on, and I’ll 
show you. They want all the men and 
boys they can get to clean off the rubbish 
where the big fire was t’other night. 
Come on, and I’ll show you !” 

So Richard went and worked two days, 
getting ready for a Sunday spree; but 
when Billy came homeward Saturday 
night, he stopped into Mary’s, and, hand- 
ing her a little parcel, said, “There’s some 
of your money.” 

“Where did it come from?” said 


168 THE NEW YOKK BIBLE- WOMAN. 


Mary, unrolling the little soiled packet 
of money. 

“I suppose it was paid Rick this after- 
noon/ I saw him going into a whisky- 
^den as I came home, and I picked his 
pocket for him.” 

Mary sighed, and knew not what to 
say. She knew Billy was a tolerably 
honest boy, yet she thought he was un- 
fortunately skillful in pocket- picking. 
And then her Richard — when and how 
would he get home ? That problem was 
soon solved. Billy related his exploit to 
Angel, who asked where he had seen 
Richard. The place was not far off; 
there was some daylight remaining yet, 
and Angel walked in the direction Billy 
indicated. As she expected, she found 
Rick on the sidewalk hunting for his 
money. 

“Won’t you please to take a walk with 
me, Mr. Ware?” she asked. “I hardly 
ever take a walk. Sometimes the boys 


THE BIBLE-WOMAN. 


169 


hoot me — because of my back, you know. 
But I’ve got my best blue dress on, and 
won’t you take me a walk ?” She slipped 
her small hand in Richard’s, and went 
away with him, very childish in height 
and words, very old in her face and heart. 
I think some of God’s ministering spirits 
must have taught this little Angel her 
wisdom. So, while Mary Ware was pray- 
ing in her room, God was answering her 
in Thompson street ; and before long, 
after a ramble through Green street, 
listening to Angel prattling of flowers 
and fields, which she some day hoped to 
see, and of heaven, where it would be 
“shining summer all the time,” Richard 
Ware came home — a little child leading 
him. 

One Sunday morning, Mary visited sev- 
eral sick people, then went to church with 
Angel and the two elder Wishalow chil- 
dren, and in the afternoon had her little 
class in her room. Norah was there, her 

15 


170 THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


dress quite dirty again, and tear-marks 
on her thin cheeks, for she had been 
cuffed about in her mother’s whisky-shop 
all the morning. She held fast to Lizzie, 
but managed to get close to Mary and 
put her hand on the good woman’s lap. 
She was an eager listener while Mary 
talked to them of the Good Shepherd 
who carries the lambs in his bosom ; and 
if the lamb is crippled or lost or wound- 
ed, or all covered with briers and clay, 
he only carries it more surely and ten- 
derly still. JNTorah listened eagerly, but 
Lizzie did not care for “preachment,” 
and before long asked for the story. She 
seemed disappointed to find that God was 
the Father whose love adopted the poor 
child; that the treasures were love, con- 
tent, faith. “Pshaw!” she said; “is that 
all? I wanted it a story of rich folks 
taking the girl and making a lady out 
of her.” 

“That don’t be, only in stories,” said 


THE BIBLE-WOMAN. 


171 


JS'orah. “I like this best, ’cause she says 
it can come to poor ones like us.” 

“Well,” said Lizzie, crossly, “you just 
took me in, Mary Ware; your story ain’t 
no ’count ’t all.” 

However, the next day Lizzie was over 
her cross mood, and Mary had all ready 
for peanut-selling. Lizzie repeated her 
promises to Mary, and had begun the 
fulfillment of one by looking very tidy. 
It was a busy week — Mary going her 
rounds. Hose working at home, little 
Angel seeming to be everywhere where 
she could do good, having a special facul- 
ty for hunting up Hick Ware and bring- 
ing him home, and much befriending 
ISTorah during Lizzie’s absence. Every 
night Lizzie went to Mary and divided 
her money: two parts for buying new 
stock, one part for paying debts, one part 
for herself. This last part Lizzie care- 
fully divided again. Finally, Mary 
asked her what was to be done with that 


172 THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 

money. “One part’s for Norah,” «aid 
Lizzie. 

“Ah! To buy her clothes?” asked 
Mary. 

“ No ; it’s summer ; she don’t need 
much clothes.” 

“Then are you going to set her up in 
business?” 

“Pooh! no. I’ll tell you what ’tis ; 
I’m saving ’nuif to take Norah and me 
to the Bowery Theatre. We can get 
standin’ places for a shillin’ a-piece, and 
we’ll want another shillin’ for goodies. 
When I get half a dollar saved up, we’re 
goin’. My! We’ll see the play, and the 
silk dresses, and the julery, and the spy- 
ing-glasses ; and the folks as plays, they 
flings ’bout money, and swears, and shoots 
each other’s heads; and the beautiful gal, 
she faints dead; and her father, he stamps 
like mad. I’ve heard the boys what has 
been tell ’bout it ; and there’s no end of 
lights, too.” 


THE BIBLE-WOMAN. 


173 


“Why, Lizzie! are you earning money 
just for that?” 

“ Yes, I be; and don’t you go to preach- 
in’ ’bout it, or you may take back your 
old nuts, and I’ll never speak to you agin. 
Guess me and Yorah’s had hard times 
’nuff, without your setting up ’bout our 
going to the theatre. We ain’t going to 
mind all you say. , We’ll have one good 
time, anyhow.” 

Mary dared not reply, but in her hon- 
est, simple heart she felt much distressed. 
Mary had lived too much alone to have 
much philosophy, and she looked on Liz- 
zie’s yearnings after the pit at the “Bow- 
ery” as indications of terrible depravity. 
She was very glad when Mrs. Warren 
came in and she had some one to whom 
to confide her troubles. She began to 
feel that a great mistake had been made 
in helping Lizzie earn money to spend in 
the dreadful dissipation of theatre-going. 
She carefully detailed Lizzie’s shocking 

15 * 


174 THE NEW YOEK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


plans, when,’ to her surprise, Mrs. Warren 
seemed overwhelmed by merriment, and 
peal after peal of laughter echoed through 
Mary’s dull room. Mary was amazed ; 
she could not suspect Mrs. Warren of 
wrong, and yet was she not making a 
mock at sin ? Yet somehow that laughter 
did Mary good ; it stirred her heart ; it 
made the old room look brighter; it 
seemed to shake the stagnant air into 
buoyancy. Mary breathed freer amid her 
wonderment. The good Bible-woman 
could not see how ludicrous was to Mrs. 
Warren poor Lizzie’s idea of a good 
time of theatre-going : the lady could pic- 
ture to herself those two small revelers 
in enormous shakers and bedraggled 
gowns going, greedy-eyed, with ginger- 
cakes in hand, into the splendors of the 
Bowery theatre, and ** staring wonder- 
struck at all the clap-trap, the tinsel 
show, the extravagances, the bluster of 
the stage. To them the paste would be 


THE BIBLE-WOMAN. 


175 


diamonds ; the brag, bravery ; the paint, 
beauty. Poor little tots ! for this they 
would go ragged and hungry, small, 
miserable types of all of us who work 
to win a sight of this world’s gauds and 
silly pageantry, and turn our backs on 
heaven. 

Yet there was a pathos in the thought 
that stirred to tears as well as laughter, 
and tears stood in Mrs. Warren’s eyes 
and a tremor shook her voice as she said, 
“Poor little souls ! and that is their idea 
of a good time — eight years old and never 
had any child pleasures, and now must 
treat themselves to a night at the 
Bowery!” She laughed again more softly, 
as one who must either laugh or weep. 
“When do you think Mary, that they will 
have money enough ?” 

“T^ot for a week or two,” said Mary. 

Mrs. Warren pondered a few moments : 
“Well, Mary, next Tuesday afternoon 
you send those girls up to see me about 


176 THE NEW YORK BIBLE- WOMAN. 

two o’clock. Let Lizzie leave her nut- 
peddling for once. Tell her I will show 
them something fine.” 

“Thank you, madam,” said Mary, quite 
relieved; “you can’t tell how it worried 
me.” 

“You must not worry,” said Mrs.' 
Warren. “Do your duty and leave re- 
sults to God. He offers to hear your 
burdens for you, and you need not do one 
thought of worrying.” 

So through the rest of the week Mary 
took heart of grace and worked, and did 
not worry. Passing from house to house, 
as one passes about on dark nights carry- 
ing a light, she went bearing from room 
to room the light of God’s word, of hea- 
ven’s promise and of human sympathy. 
Over pallid, care-worn faces came a gleam 
of hope, -and children followed her for 
her kind words, and the lonely toilers 
blessed her coming. 

Through the streets went Billy and 


THE BIBLE-WOMAN. 


177 


Lizzie — Billy thinking better of his small 
sister, now that she had gone into busi- 
ness and was paying her debts. Billy 
shouted, “Candy he-ur!” and Lizzie, in 
her piping treble, chorused “Peanuts 
he-ur !” and so from street to street went 
the children of poverty earning their 
daily bread. 


M 


CHAPTER VI. 


THE GOOD TIME. 

IZZIE was inclined to regard Mrs. 
Warren’s invitation in the light of 
a conspiracy. She said she did 
not like “too good folks,” and Mrs. 
Warren had “too much preachment.” 
She was rather jealous on account of the 
twenty-five cents Kate Fairly had given 
Rose. 'Indeed, our poor Lizzie was a 
genuine New York Arab, a little Ishm^el- 
ite of the streets. With the exception of 
Korah, Lizzie’s hand was against every 
one, and she thought every one’s hand 
was against her. The fact that Korah 
was included in the invitation weighed 
down the scale in Lizzie’s mind in favor 
of acceptance. As to the Sunday class 

in Mary’s room, Lizzie was not going 
178 / 



THE GOOD TIME. 


179 


there, but here Xorah put in a good word : 
“Oh, Lizzie, do come. I want to go, 
Lizzie. I like to hear of that Good Shep- 
herd and his lambs. I remember that 
verse, ‘He shall carry his lambs in his 
bosom.’ Say, Lizzie, do you know I’ve 
followed Mrs. Ware ’round nigh all this 
week. When she goes I tag her softly, 
and I stands listening at doors and win- 
dows to hear her talk ; it ’pears like I’m 
hungry for it, as I am for suffin’ to eat.” 

“If you’re hungry now, mother’ll give 
you a piece of bread ; we get’s all we 
want now, since dad’s dead. Say, Norah, 
don’t you wish your old woman would 
go and get drownded and waked and 
buriet, and mebby you'd have good times 
too?” J^orah took the offered bread 
thankfully, and then succeeded in getting 
Lizzie to go to Mary’s rotim with her. 
To her intense mortification, Lizzie told 
Mary of IS'orah’s “tagging” operations. 
Lizzie’s object was a bad one, but it de- 


180 THE NEW YOEK BIBLE-WOmIn. 

feated itself ; she hoped Mary would re- 
prove ISTorah, and so make her dislike her 
and keep away from her. Instead of 
this, Mary clasped Norah in her arms, 
called her a dear child, and said she would 
get her a hook and teach her, so that she 
could read about the Good Shepherd. 

“JN^o I sha’n’t — I sha’n’t learn to read,” 
said JSTorah, quickly. 

“ Don’t, it’s no use,” said Lizzie. Mary 
felt grieved. 

Notwithstanding this little hindrance, 
they had a very pleasant afternoon, and 
as the children went home, each one 
carried gentle and holy thoughts as 
charms against the evil of their daily 
lives. 

They had all gone and Mary sat 
alone ; she thought perhaps Angel would 
bring Richard home toward evening. 
Richard could get angry at his mother, 
but never at Angel ; perhaps it was be- 
cause she paid such pleasant tribute to 


THE GOOD TIME. 


181 


his self-respect, calling him “Mr. Ware,” 
when to all else he was “Drunken Rick;” 
perhaps some latent spark of chivalry 
was stirred by Angel’s fairness, her 
gentleness and her misfortune. The door 
creaked and swung open ; there was a 
pat of bare feet on the floor, and JN'orah 
. crept up behind Mary : “Be you maVl at 
me. Miss Ware?” 

“Xo, child, surely not; but — ” 

“I couldn’t, I darsen’t,” burst out 
Norah. “If I’d a-said I’d learn to read, 
from some of them gals it ’ud got to 
mom, and she’d a-killed me. Look here, 
Miss Ware — ” JN'orah came forward, lifted 
her hair and showed a long scar on the 
side of her forehead. “I askded her to 
let me go to school, an’ there’s where she 
flung me on the stove for it. Oh, I do 
want to learn ; and won’t you please to 
teach me secret, and never let nobody 
know so she’ll hear it?” 

Mary was a plain, simple-minded wo- 
16 


182 THE NEW YOEK BIBLE- WOMAN. 


man; she had no stilted sentimentality 
that demanded that this poor child should 
risk being half murdered for asking the 
drunken wretch whom she called mother 
to allow her to learn to read. The child 
must be rescued, and perhaps she could 
do something for that mother ; at all 
events, the child must be saved, and to 
attain to any useful womanhood she must 
learn to read. Mary did not hesitate to 
promise Norah that she would teach her 
very secretly indeed. 

When Norah had gone away, Mary 
began to think of Prussia Wiggins, who 
was still in hostile mood. She deter- 
mined to climb up to Prussia’s attic, and 
try to be reconciled to her ; so with a 
prayer in her heart, she went up the long 
stairs. Prussia stared at her guest with- 
out speaking. 

“I want to be friends with you Prussy,” 
said Mary ; “it is unchristian to live with- 
out speaking to a neighbor. I wish you 


THE GOOD TIME, 


183 


well, Prussy ; let us be on good terms 
again.” 

“Not I,” said Prussia ; “you’re a hypo- 
crite, a lazy, ungrateful woman as ever 
was. You turned against me after I’d 
been your friend this six year. I ain’t 
to be pulled on and off like as I was old 
gloves. Don’t bring any of your religion 
about here ; I hate it and you too. See 
here!”- and Prussia caught up a vest and 
began sewing vigorously. 

“Oh, Prussia, don’t break the Lord’s 
day, whatever you do,” remonstrated 
Mary. 

“It’s my day just as much as any- 
body’s,” said Miss Wiggins, “and I’ll 
sew to spite you.” 

“I’m afraid, Prussy, you’re bringing 
down heavy j udgments on yourself. Let 
the potsherd strive with the potsherds 
of the earth, but not with its maker; 
fight me, Prussy, if you will, but don’t 


184 THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 

Yery meek looked old Mary standing 
by Prussy’s door, in her black gown and 
snowy cap, her Sunday garb ; but her 
meekness did not touch Prussy. 

“You go down stairs, and don’t you 
come back ; I hate the sight of you,” said 
Miss Wiggins. 

“May the Lord send you a better 
mind,” said Mary, going slowly away. 
She stopped to ask a widow, who lived 
by binding shoes, to go to church with 
her that evening, promised a bowl of 
gruel to a sick girl, and advised the 
mother of a feverish babe to bathe it 
in tepid water and soothe it to sleep. 
“Mothers will do anything for their chil- 
dren,” said Mary. . 

“Yes, indeed,” said the baby’s mother. 

“And God puts himself very near to 
us when he says, ‘As one whom his mother 
comforteth, so will I comfort you.’” 

“Does lie say said the woman. 

“Yes, and many things like it: if you 


THE GOOD TIME. 


185 


would read them in the Bible, they’d be 
a great comfort to you.” 

“I haven’t any Bible, but I ’spose I 
could get one easy,” said the woman, 
whose husband made good wages as a 
bricklayer. Mary resolved to see that 
the Bible was got. So to the sick girl, 
Mary, with her promise of gruel, had 
whispered good words of the Great 
Physician. 

She sat down by her window and 
watched for Rick. Her heart was heavy, 
for she feared he was going to eternal 
ruin. As she watched there came to her 
a golden promise ; it was as if some 
ministering spirit had breathed it on the 
air; it came to her clear and distinct as 
speech : “Whatsoever ye ask in my name, 
I will do it.” She had an advocate 
above ; not only that, but the everlasting, 
all-powerful Giver was pledged to pour 
out his mercy upon her asl^ng. Like 
the Syrophoenician woman, Mary could 


186 THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 

go to Jesus, pleading for her child. A 
strong faith entered into her heart. Rich- 
ard could be saved — must be saved. To 
this end she would labor and pray, noth- 
ing doubting. 

Even now there is a heavy, irregular 
step on the sidewalk and a softer tread, 
and there is the music of a child’s voice, 
and Angel has found Richard and has 
brought him home. Rick has been too 
poor to get drunk ; he has only had a 
glass or two of liquor ^all day, and that 
is almost nothing to him. Mary poured 
water for her son to wash, brushed his 
clothes for him and set about getting 
supper. Angel brought a chair for Rich- 
ard and a stool for herself. “I’m going 
to say you my Sunday-school lesson and 
my text, and sing for you, Mr. Ware,” 
she said; “and here is something very 
queer : can you think how it happened ? 
I got this beautiful card for saying such 
a long lesson perfect, and when I got to 


THE GOOD TIME. 


187 


church, why there the minister had this 
very text on my card, for his preaching 
text.” Angel took from her pocket a 
handsome gilt- bordered card, wrapped in 
tissue paper. “Hear me say it,” she 
said, fixing her earnest eyes on Richard : 
“0 Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself — 
but in me is thy help found.” Richard 
started. “I think I’ll give you this card 
to remember me by, Mr. Ware,” said 
Angel; “it means me, and I’ve got it in 
my mind, and it means you, and you can 
have it on the card.” Richard took the 
card and looked at it some time ; then he 
folded it up awkwardly and put it in his 
pocket. “N’ow I’ll sing for you,” said 
Angel, and she sangier favorite hymn : 

“Come, ye dinners, poor and needy, 

Weak and wounded,' sick and sore; 

Jesus ready stands to save you, 

Full of pity, love and power. 

He is able. 

He is ready. 

Want no more.” 


188 THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


“Are you tired of me?” asked Angel, 
when she had finished singing. 

“JN'o,” said Richard, coming out of a 
muse; “who could get tired of you?” 

“Then I’ll say my lesson, and after 
that I must go home and see mother.” 
So Angel, in tones that told she felt the 
lesson, repeated' the parable of the 
Prodigal Son. 

When she went into the hall to go 
home, Mary followed her: “Angel, I 
want you to help me save Richard. 
The Lord has promised to hear prayer, 
and I want you to help me pray for 
'him.” 

“Yes,” said Angel, earnestly, “put my 
father in, Mrs. Wane, and we’ll pray for 
them both every day just as hard as ever 
we can.” 

After supper, Richard sat looking 
moodily from the window; he was sober 
enough to realize the ruin he had come 
to — to see how he had wasted his little 


THE GOOD TIME. 


189 


property, degraded himself, fallen out of 
self-respect, forgotten his early acquire- 
ments, shattered his health. In such 
moments Richard was thoroughly un- 
happy and stung by the bitterest re- 
morse. His mother could not know 
what he was thinking of : we fear ' she 
thought him only craving the poisonous 
cup; but her heart yearned over her son, 
and she stole to his side and stroked his 
hair as she had done when he was a child. 
Richard was in bed and asleep before 
church-time, and Mary went up for com- 
fort to the house of God. 

On the appointed afternoon, Lizzie and 
Jforah went to Mrs. Warren’s. They 
were taken into the dining-room, and 
Mrs. Warren received them very kindly. 

“Mary says you are saving your money 
to go to the theatre and have a good time,” 
she said. 

“Yes, we be,” said Lizzie, defiantly. 

“ I thought it a pity you must wait so 


190 


THE NEW YOEK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


long for a little pleasure, and so this 
afternoon we will have the pleasantest 
kind of a time. What is there so nice 
at the Bowery? I’ve never been there.” 

The two children sat crowded together 
on a green-covered lounge; Mrs. Warren 
had taken a low rocking-chair close in 
front of them. Kate Fairly was looking 
out of one window, and a sweet old 
Quaker lady was sewing by the other. 

“ Ain’t you never seen nobody as had 
been to Bowery?” asked Lizzie the bold. 

“Not to hear them tell about it; sup- 
pose you tell me what there is there.” 

“Why, there’s — there’s lights, and 
flowers, and red curtings, and playin’- 
folks all fixed off to kill ; and there’s a 
lady what wants to run off with the 
splendidest robber, and she just climbs 
out of a winder on a ladder ; and a da^- 
ger, and dear knows what all; and the 
father of the girl, you know; he does no 
end of swearin’.” 


TfiE GOOD TIME. 


191 


“As for that,” said Mrs. Warren, “I 
should think you could hear more than 
enough swearing every day of your 
lives.” 

“Oh, but this is different. It makes a 
difference who does it,» ’cause this man as 
swears, he’s got a welwet coat and red 
silk stockings, and no end of stars and 
ribbins all over him!” 

“Oh, I didn’t think of that,” said Mrs. 
Warren, smiling. 

“And then,” said Lizzie, warming to 
the interest of her story, “he gets so 
tearin’, raging mad, ’cause the girl runs 
off with the robber! Goody! how mad he 
gets! why, it’s just fun to see!” 

“But,” said Mrs. Warren, curiously 
regarding this poor little pleasure-hunter 
in bare feet and ragged apron, “I should 
think you would be tired of seeing folks 
angry. Don’t the people about you get 
very furious every day?” 

“Oh yes,” said Lizzie, condescendingly; 


192 THE NEW YOEK BIBLE- WOM AY. 


“ now here’s her old woman, Ann Wheeler, 
she gets rampagious mad; but don’t you 
see the difference? Now Ann gets mad 
and she pounds Norah and pulls her 
hair, but the man in the play, when he 
gets mad he goes and pulls his own!” 

‘‘Surely there is a difference,” said 
Mrs. Warren, while Kate, by the window, 
shook with the laughter she tried to con- 
ceal. 

“How do you know so mucli about the 
theatre if you’ve never been there?” 
asked Mrs. Warren. 

“Why them boys an’ girls as can 
scrape up the money to go, they goes, 
and then evenings after it they gets on 
a box or a bar’l, and we as ain’t been 
comes ’round, and they tells us all ’bout 
it, and they keeps on telling till some- 
body goes again; that’s what me and 
Nor ah mean to do.” 

“You shall have a splendid time to- 
day to tell about,” said Mrs. Warren; 


THE GOOD TIME. 


193 


“and first come into the kitchen and have 
a good dinner.” 

Mrs. Warren had taken a world of 
pains to provide the pleasure she desired 
for these two little forlornities. She had 
begun by procuring from her friends two 
full suits of good second-hand clothing to 
fit these girls. Accordingly, when the 
children had had their dinner, Fanny, 
the chambermaid, gave them each a 
bath, combed each little head and tied 
their hair up with bright ribbons, fitted 
them out with under-garments, hosiery, 
shoes and gloves; and now behold each 
child with a gingham dress and round 
hat, and Lizzie with a little black silk 
sacque and Xorah with a white apron. 
All was complete, even to a neat ruffle 
about each neck. The two girls were 
fairly in awe of each other’s splendor. 
When they were again ushered into the 
dining-room, Kate danced about them in 
delight at their fine appearance; the 

17 N 


194 THE NEW YOEK BIBLE- WOMAN. 

Quaker lady wiped her spectacles, looked 
and looked again; and as Mrs. Warren 
came in, attired for walking, the old lady 
handed her some money, saying, “Thee 
is doing a good work, niece; here is a 
little help for thy poor children.” 

Oh glorious afternoon! If the fairy 
tales were true, and delightful genii had 
whisked otf these two children to elfin 
land, nothing could have exceeded the 
wonders Mrs. Warren revealed to their 
unaccustomed eyes. Cinderella’s chariot 
and outfit were nothing to it. They 
looked like other people, they walked 
with a lady, they went to a panorama. 
What scenes passed before them like en- 
chantment! what puppets amazed them 
by their evolutions! what pictures caused 
them to hold their breath! what music 
they heard, far finer than the full band 
playing for well-dressed people in the 
Park, about whose confines these two had 
sometimes hung, like fabled Peris about 


THE GOOD TIME. 


195 


some fabled Paradise ! JN'or was this all. 
The exhibition ended, Mrs. Warren took 
the children to a restaurant, whose mag- 
nificence of marble, cut glass, flowers, 
mirrors, luxurious seats and heai^ed-up 
delights of every imaginable fruit and 
confection, struck Norah and Lizzie with 
an awe and reverence far surpassing what 
any church could have inspired. Then 
they absolutely sat down to one of those 
tables and ate ice cream and frosted cake, 
and each one had an orange and a paper 
of candy to carry home. The next place 
where they stojDped after the restaurant 
was a store full of books and pictures. 
They lingered by the window, and JN’orah 
cried out, “Oh, there is the Good Shep- 
herd with a lamb in his bosom f That is 
like Mrs. Ware tells us. Ma’am, you 
can’t think what good talk she says to us ; 
and if you’ll never, never tell, ma’am, 
she’s going to teach me to read about the 
Good Shepherd,- who loves all the poor 


196 THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


children, even me. Yes, ma’am, I just 
love Mary’s school.” 

“And do you like Mary’s school?” 
Mrs. Warren asked Lizzie. 

“!N^o, ma’am, I don’t. I think it’s 
dumb; there ain’t nothing but talk about 
being good, and I have to be good all the 
week, else Mary won’t let me sell no pea- 
nuts, and I say it’s too moan to have to 
go’n act good all Sunday too.” 

“But suppose with the good talk you 
had some singing?” Lizzie admitted 
that would be an improvement. 

“And if Mary had a nice picture or 
two hanging in her room, and some 
verses all printed like that one in blue 
and gold, and if there were some cards?” 
At these suggestions Lizzie did not know 
but Mary’s school might do; and Mrs. 
Warren, thinking that part of her aunt’s 
present could not be better spent than 
here, went into the store with the girls 
and bought the Good Shepherd picture 


THE GOOD TIME. 


197 


and a picture of Christ blessing children, 
and also a package of pretty cards. “ Go 
to Mary’s school next Sunday, and I’ll ask 
Miss Kate to go there and Jielp you sing.” 

“ Rose says she’s got a bonnet with a 
long-tailed bird right on it,” said Lizzie. 

“I believe Kate has,” 'said Mrs. 
Warren. 

“I wisht you’d ask her to wear it, 
’cause we don’t see nothing pretty down 
our way,” said Lizzie, eagerly. The 
child’s mind was truly bent on earthly 
vanities. 

Lizzie sailed home magnificent in all 
her new attire. So did not Norah dare 
to do, but carried the precious raiment 
wherein, during the afternoon, she had 
rejoiced, to Mary, and asked her to keep 
it for her for some dimly seen time of 
future prosperity, when she might wear 
it with none to make her afraid; the 
ribbon that had tied her hair she folded 
in a bit of paper and hid in her bosom. 


198 THE NEW YORK BIBLE- WOMAN. 

that in hungry days and lonely nights 
she might touch it and know her after- 
noon of happiness was not all a dream. 
The Good Shepherd picture was hung in 
Mary’s room, where Norah could see it 
every day. 

Day by day was Mary busy. Her 
Sunday-school, after Kate began -to teach 
them to sing, numbered as many as the 
room could hold. The sewing-class also 
was full. Among the myriad human 
shuttles that, cast to and fro, wove the sad 
web of daily life in these dreary haunts 
where our story lingers, went Bible Mary 
carrying the one bright golden thread of 
all the pattern — the light of the gospel. 
Good news indeed it was that Mary bore 
up into attics, down into cellars, going 
everywhere, sitting down in the squalor 
of some discouraged woman’s room; and 
while the poor creature, who never had 
time to clear up her home or refresh her- 
self, stitched hurriedly, Mary, hushing a 


THE GOOD TIME. 


199 


babe on her knee, would tell of her own 
hard struggles, of the one hope that had 
upheld her through all ; spoke gently of 
this weary life as but the dim threshold 
of a better world, to which we may enter 
if we have the passport of the King ; and 
read in tender tones, “Come unto me, all 
ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I 
will give you rest.” 

Kow and again Mary rescued some 
little child for whom nobody cared, and 
Mrs. Warren got it into an asylum, 
where it could be properly brought up. 
Through Mary flowed from Mrs. War- 
ren’s hand blessed charities to the needy ; 
bodies as well as spirits were refreshed. 

While doing all these things in her 
new life, Mary felt very sad about her 
son. She took care of him as well as 
she could, but seemed so helpless about 
making him any better. Bridget Mul- 
rooney could follow her drunken husband 
from place to place, and by sheer muscu- 


200 THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


lar ability bring him home. Angel, with 
her small, soft hand, pleading voice and 
earnest eyes, would beguile Richard from 
some drunken haunt, or lead him from 
the street; and then, when he was at 
home, refreshed and quieted, she would 
take her stool near him and repeat a 
hymn or portion of Scripture in her seri- 
ous way. Mary thanked the Lord for 
Angel. 

Mrs. Mulrooney was very proud of 
her child. “She’s better nor the lave of 
them, an’’ she is crooked,” she would say. 
“Look at her sewing! To see the wise 
ways of her 1 It’s me Angel will bring 
back the father to sober ways if ere a one 
can.” ^ 

But Angel unfortunately was Bridget’s 
strong point against the doctrine of re- 
generation. Never tell her, she said. 
Angel was aye good enough. Bridget 
herself would slip into heaven, as any 
other honest, tidy, hard-working woman 


THE GOOD TIME. 


201 


should, but Angel was bound to go in 
and welcome, and what more did any one 
want than that? 

Rose Wish alow was a great comfort to 
Mary. The girl’s improvement was so 
rapid and manifest that she was a rich 
reward to the Bible-woman’s labor. 
When tempted to be despairing, she 
thought of Rose growing so womanly, 
working at home so faithfully — such a 
kind little mother to the baby and Der- 
mot; and Mary thanked God and took 
courage. 

Margaret Wishalow had never much 
energy, but she grew cheerful as her cir- 
cumstances improved, and was apt at fol- 
lowing suggestions given her by Mrs. 
Warren. Billy’s candy scheme had pros- 
pered, so that his mother was quite 
satisfied with it; and it was a great re- 
lief to the woman to know that Lizzie 
was with her brother, trading in pea- 
nuts, instead of quarreling about Sulli- 


202 THE NEV/ YOKK BIBLE-WOMAN. 

van street all day. The Bible was read 
in Margaret’s room every night. Lizzie 
was sometimes restive and sometimes fell 
asleep during the reading; the others 
were truly interested ; Billy thought it 
“respectable,” and Bose had some 
glimpses of deeper meanings than met 
the others, hearing it as the voice of the 
Great Teacher to her heart. 

JN’ot very far from Sullivan street was 
a mission church, and now on Sabbaths 
the different members of the Wish alow 
family attended public worship there. 
Lizzie went because of the new suit Mrs. 
Warren had given her. Billy was saving 
diis earnings that he might go to school. 
There was talk of Lizzie’s going, but she 
declared she never would go ; while Rose 
wanted much to go, but saw no prospect 
of it through the long vistas of baby- 
tending required by Dermot and the little 


one. 


CHAPTER VII. 


TUJE PLEDGE. 

HE summer seemed short to Mary ; 
she was busy and happy in doing- 
good, and we doubt if amid her 
labors she would have noticed the 
passing day, had not each one found 
Hichard still on the downward path. 
Perchance in his evil way the man was 
halting a little; God is the answerer of 
prayer, and while Mary and Angel daily 
importuned him for Richard’s sake, judg- 
ments may have hung suspended in the 
balance; the destroying axe may have 
lain quiet by the tree, and heavenly 
ministers may have followed after him 
amid the dangers of his reckless life, and 
whispered to his spirit of penitence and 
restoration. 



203 


204 THE NEW YOEK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


On a bright October morning, while 
Mary was busy in her room, Kate Fairly 
came to see her, followed by Jim carrying 
a large basket. Jim was dismissed, and 
Kate ^at down to talk with Mary. The 
young girl’s face was brilliant as the skies 
above her. Life went very smoothly to 
Kate, and she had a buoyant tempera- 
ment that seized the pleasure of every- 
thing as bees carry off the honey of the 
flowers. - 

“I was afraid I shouldn’t ^find you at 
home,” said Kate, “but I meant to get 
your key from Mrs. Master and put the 
basket in. You’ve no idea what a lot of 
nice things I have for your poor folks ! 
What are you doing, Mary ?” 

“I’m making some beef-tea for that 
sick baby I was telling your aunt of on 
Monday” — Kate began to rummage her 
basket — “and old Lottie is so fond of the 
gruel I make that I’m getting ready a 
bowl of that. You’d hardly think that 


THE PLEDGE. 


205 


one could have the rheumatism this fine 
weather, but she has it dreadfully. I 
did mention the hospital to her, but she 
clings to that poor hardworking daughter 
of hers, and I believe they’d rather die 
together than be separated.” Kate had 
now one heap of articles on her lap, 
another on the floor. “Kow, Mary, how 
do you like that?” she cried, shaking out 
a little night-gown; “three of those for 
your sick baby, and little warm socks 
too ; and here’s the softest delaine quilt 
to wrap it all up in !” 

“Bless your heart,” cried Mary, kindly 
regarding the animated young face ; “ that 
will be just the thing !” 

“And see here, too,’^ continued Kate — 
“here are some red flannel shirts and a 
pair of carpet slippers for old Lottie; 
and — Oh, ahntie wants to know if she 
can read, now that she has the spectacles 
and the large-print Bible?” 

“Yes, her reading is coming back to 
18 


206 THE NEW YORK BIBLE- WOMAN. 


her nicely ; she takes a world of comfort 
reading while her daughter sews. She 
was telling me yesterday how that verse, 
‘Even to hoar hairs will I carry thee,’ 
kept in her mind, and how she’d proved 
it true.” 

“She’s quite a diamond in a muck- 
heap,” said Kate lightly. “Well, here 
are^ the dry goods for the sewing-class, 
and here are tea, rice, lemons and other 
groceries for the invalid. I declare, 
Mary, I’ve spent nearly all my monthly 
allowance on your poor people.” 

“Kot my poor people,” said Mary, 
steadily — “the Lord's poor.” 

Kate had emptied the basket and be- 
gun to put on her gloves; in her own 
way she had as much dread of “preach- 
ment” as Lizzie. 

Mary, however, had a word in her 
heart for this merry girl. She took her 
hand and looked earnestly at her : “You 
are indeed ‘liberal in giving,’ Miss Kate. 


THE PLEDGE. 


207 


I wish you would give yet one thing 
more — give your heart to Jesus. Don’t 
hold that back !” 

4 

Kate did not reply. Her cheek flushed 
and her eyes grew misty, but she took 
her hand gently from Mary’s clasp and 
went away. 

Nearly everywhere that Mary went 
she found the myriad brood of miseries to 
which drunkenness is father. Dirty and 
barren homes, hunger, cold, sickness, idle- 
ness, quarreling, and 'SO on, the long list ; 
of children uncared for, parents forsaken, 
wives forgotten, manhood, womanhood 
and even childhood made frightful wrecks, 
and da}'' by day bodies and souls swept 
out into irreparable ruin. How Mary 
longed to do something that should stay 
the progress of this monster. Destruction ! 

“Talk of cholera and yellow fever,” 
said Mrs. Mulrooney one day, when pecu- 
liarly excited by Terence’s shortcomings. 
“Well, folks makes a heap of fuss over 


208 THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 

•them diseases ; the whisky’s worse, Mis- 
tress Ware, take my word for it. They 
say them others is contagis ! Share the 
dhrinkin’ is more so. Set up one shop 
like Ann Wheeler’s, and see what’ll come 
of it. Troth, Mary, it’s to my mind con- 
tagis, like as if one caught small-pox 
from cholera, for let a man catch the 
dhrinkin’ disorder and see what divers ill 
ways his family catches from it. ’Deed, 
Mary, there’s few women that a dhrinkin’ 
husband won’t ruinate; it hasn’t me,” 
said Mrs. Mulrooney, with some pride, 
“but there’s few but what it does.” 

True enough ! Mary knew so many 
families sunk in all kinds of ills arising 
from the father’s drunkenness that she 
only sighed by way of answer to her 
garrulous neighbor. 

“Of coorse,” went on Mrs. Mulrooney, 
“I wasn’t going to rack because Terence 
fell to drinkin’, nor would I let me child 
be desthroyed by it. I can’t say, Mary, 


THE PLEDGE. 


209 


what might have been an’ I’d had poor 
health and half a dozen childher; but 
havin’ only me Angel, and such an Angel! 
troth now I’ll hold me own way in the 
world, and jerk me Terence along wid me 
somehow 1” 

Bridget went home. Mary had had a 
long day of labor, and she sat alone with 
her Bible on her knee. She thought, 
more than ever before, of the giant Evil 
that was making desolate so many hearts 
and homes about her. She felt powerless 
to lay so much as a straw’s strength 
against the current of wrong. Even as 
she lifted up the cry, “Help me. Lord!” 
came, in a swift thought, the prayer’s an- 
swer. Mary saw what she could do ; she 
felt sure of success ; she had a plan — a 
plan that would not fail. She prayed 
over it — she promised the Lord she would 
make this effort. She exhorted herself 
to be courageous. Even then, as if to 
cheer her, a new thing came about. 

18* o 


210 THE NEW YOEK BIBLE-WOMAN. 

Richard walked in sober, spoke civilly 
to his mother and j)ut away his hat and 
boots. Mary knew that Richard had 
been working for several days and had 
money in his pocket, and so could drink 
if he chose. She looked at him wistfully, 
feeling that she would like in some way 
to show her care for him, when came the 
second happy thought of the evening; 
she bid the young man sit up a little 
while, and made him a cup of good 
coffee. 

“That’s nice!” said Richard, heartily, 
finishing a second cup ; and he went into 
the recess where he slept and pulled off 
coat and vest, then he put out his head 
from the faded curtain, and said, roughly 
but rather kindly, “Here, old lady, catch 
this and keep it; it’ll buy more of the 
stuff;” and he flung his old pocket-book 
into her lap. 

“Thank you, son,” said his mother, 
striving to overcome her surprise enough 


THE PLEDGE. 


Ill 


to speak calmly. ‘‘I will buy the coffee 
and have it every night, if you will come 
home for it.” 

Richard drew back his head like a 
turtle into its shell, and made no reply to 
his mother. 

Mary did not know what to make of 
this. Years before, Richard had had his 
seasons of repentance and feeble attempts 
at reformation, but these struggles had, 
alas ! been too often followed by lower 
lapses than before, and his good days and 
struggles to do right had been so long 
intermitted that Mary had ceased to look 
for them. 

Before the dawn Mary was awake, re- 
volving her plan; it looked, in the cool 
review of the morning, less likely to suc- 
ceed than it had seemed in the enthusiasm 
of the evening’s dreaming; but Mary had 
promised herself to perform this work, as 
far as her efforts could avail for it, and 
she would not go back. She felt as if 


212 THE NEW YOEK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


Angel, who had so long prayed with her, 
must now work with her, and resolved to 
see her as soon as the morning work was 
done. When breakfast was over,- Mary 
said to Richard, “ I’ll have a good dinner 
for you if you will come home to it, my 
son.” Richard seemed to hear her, but 
went out without answering. It was 
now but little after six, and hardly 
had Richard gone when Angel entered. 
“Father’s been bad all night,” she said; 
“mother could not find him until late, 
and he’d drank so much. Oh, Mrs. 
Ware, can’t we keep him from it any 
way?” 

“Yes, dear,” said Mary, “I hope the 
Lord’s showed me a way. Just help me 
do my work up while I talk. There’s a 
grand temperance man now in the city, 
and he talks so none can resist him. 
He’s getting hundreds to sign the pledge 
every night in the big halls up town. 
He is stopping at the Astor House, and 


THE PLEDGE. 


213 


IVe heard Mrs. Warren and Miss Fairly 
tell about him, and I’ve read of his 
speeches in the papers. JN'ow, child, we’ll 
ask the Lord to prosper us, and you and 
I will go to this gentleman, and we’ll tell 
him how we’ve prayed and suffered here, 
and we’ll ask him to come down and 
speak right before Ann’s shop, Sunday 
afternoon next. And your mother’ll take 
your father out, and you must win out 
my Rick.” 

Thus all was arranged. Angel and 
Mary got ready at once, and by half-past 
eight they were standing in the hotel hall 
asking for the lecturer on whom their 
hopes were set. The dandy waiters of 
the hotel seemed inclined to ignore the 
inquiries of these humble visitors, but 
they proved the old rule true that, “Per- 
severance conquers all things.” It con- 
quered the inattentive servants and ob- 
tained them an audience with Mr. . 

“Well, friends, what am I to do for you 


214 THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


to-day?” inquired the lecturer, pleas- 
antly. 

‘‘Sir,” replied Mary, “we come from a 
very poor neighborhood, which intempe- 
rance is making worse every year. We 
have heard a great deal about the good 
you are doing, and as we know our folks 
won’t come out to these grand places 
where you speak, we ask you to have the 
goodness to come and speak to them on 
Sunday afternoon, if you can, sir, right 
out of doors by the whisky- shop. It is a 
poor place, sir, but just the place to do 
good in.” 

“H-m-m-m!” said the lecturer, taking 
a set of tablets out of his pocket and 
turning them over. Mary trembled lest 
her case should fail: “Don’t refuse me, 
sir. My son, my dear son — oh, sir, he’s 
ruined by liquor, but y6u may win even 
him.” 

“And my father too, sir,” interposed 
Angel with tearful eyes, giving the 


THE PLEDGE. 


215 


gentleman’s coat a little pull m her 
eagerness. 

“And who are you?” asked the gentle- 
man, kindly. 

“Angel, sir;” and seeing the stranger 
looked puzzled, she said: “It sounds 
queer, I know, sir, but I’m used to it. 
My name is Angeline, and my mother 
calls me Angel; being my mother, 
sir, she don’t mind, you know;” and 
Angel’s expressive look indicated that 
she thought of her deformity. 

“Ah! And your father drinks, does 
he? Have you any brothers or sisters?” 

“No, sir. It’s a good thing I haven’t, 
isn’t it? for mother couldn’t take care of 
many, and you don’t know how hard it 
is for children to have fathers that drink, 
sir. Mine would be a very good father 
only for that; indeed^ and he don’t mind 
it either, sir, only when he’s been drink- 
ing a good deal.” 

The gentleman looked down very 


216 THE NEW YORK BIBLE- WOMAN. 


kindly on the child; then turning to 
Mary, he said: “And may I ask who you 
are, madam?” 

“I’m Mary Ware, Bible-woman of that 
district, sir.” 

“Ah! Bible-woman! Then you have 
a manager? Who may that be.” 

“Mrs. Judge Warren, sir.” 

“Oh! oh! Now I see daylight plainly 
in this matter. I’m acquainted with 
Mrs. Warren — indeed, I’m going there 
to tea — and I think you may rely upon 
me for a speech by that whisky-shop you 
mention, on Sunday at three o’clock. But 
madam, whisky is a stubborn fiend to 
exorcise, and too frequently will not down 
for my best efforts.” 

“Ah,” said Angel, with another little 
involuntary pull at the coat, “but we’re 
asking God to help you. “We’ve been 
' praying a long while, Mary and me.” 

“And don’t you get discouraged?” 
asked he, gently. 


THE PLEDGE. 


217 


“JSTo, sir,” replied Angel, with a pa- 
tient little sigh. “There is something in 
the Bible about the long waiting, and the 
answer is sure to come.” 

Then Angel and Mary went otf, very 
well satisfied. 

When Mary in her rounds that day 
went to old Lottie’s attic, she found there 
Kate Fairly, escorted by her aunt’s staid 
old cook. Kate had come to bring Lottie 
a bowl of jelly and a bottle of liniment. 
Old Lottie sat propped up in her bed as 
close to the one dormer window as she 
could be without interfering with her 
daughter’s work. She was placed so that 
whatever light there was fell well on the 
coarse-print Bible set up before her ; and 
though her hands were too much crippled 
with rheumatism to hold the book, she 
had a thumb and finger well enough to 
turn the leaves. So- she spent much of 
her time reading slowly to her toiling 
daughter, and now she was telling Kate 

19 


218 THE NEW YOEK BIBLE-WOMAN. 

how she had put up David’s prayer, 
‘‘When I am old and gray-headed, 0 
God, forsake me not,” and the Lord had 
heard her. 

Kate and Mary went down stairs to- 
gether. “ How dull that room is !” cried 
Kate, “and how that poor woman sits 
bent over that half- paid sewing to keep 
herself and mother from starvation! I 
Avonder if something pretty wouldn’t 
brighten her face a little? I believe, 
Mary, I’ll send Jim down with a red 
monthly rose to stand in her window. 
Do you think she’d like it?” 

“Indeed she would,” said Mary, 
Avarmly; “poor people like beauty as 
Avell as rich ones, but then they get so 
very little of it.’.’ 

“I’ll send the rose,” said Kate. “I’ll 
buy it as I go home.” 

“Dear child,” said Mary, with a trem- 
bling voice, turning to her young com- 
panion on the stairway, “with all this 


THE PLEDGE. 


219 


giving, give one thing more — your heart, 
Miss Kate — your heart for Jesus.” 

They had reached the door. “Good- 
bye, Mary,” said Kate, and went away, 
the cook following her. 

Saturday came, and an hour before tea- 
time Angel was searching about for Rick 
Ware. To her delight she saw him 
lounging homeward, quite sober. She 
put her small hand in his and walked 
along, chatting pleasantly: “Your mo- 
ther isn’t in yet but I know where her 
key is, Mr. Ware; and we will get sup- 
per ready, won’t we ? Besides, I want to 
ask you to do something for me, Mr. 
Ware. Do you suppose you’ll do it?” 

“Like enough,” said Richard. 

Angel never went anywhere with her 
father. It was not that she did not love 
him, or that she was willing to neglect 
him, but that he was the worst com- 
panion she could have in the street. 

There are hundreds of boys on the city 


220 THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


streets to wliom no gentleness or misfor- 
tune or depth of misery is sacred. There 
were enough to hoot at our little Angeline 
because of her deformity. With all the 
juvenile mob her father was “Shaking 
Terry,” the lawful butt of practical jokes. 
When alone, Angeline was not always 
sure of passing unnoticed or unmolested ; 
with her father, she was sure to be per- 
secuted. 

With Richard Ware it was different. 
The man had a giant frame, and a lion- 
like temper that no one cared to rouse. 
Drunk or sober, Richard Ware was to be 
decently treated ; and whatever of good- 
ness or chivalry was slumbering in his 
nature, Angel had awakened, and with 
him sh^ was sure of protection and kind- 
ness. All those better impulses that 
might have made Richard a good hus- 
band and father, had he not been en- 
slaved by strong drink, stirred to the 
sound of Angel’s voice and to the touch 


THE PLEDGE. 


221 


of Angel’s hand. “ If — if,” he thought, bit- 
terly — “if his youth had been restrained 
and his manhood steadfast to the right, 
he might have had a home of his own 
making; wife and children to welcome 
his coming, to look up to him, to trust 
to depend on him. Ah, he would not 
then have left them to degradation while 
he was sinking lower than the brutes; 
but now — too late, too late.” Richard re- 
spected his mother, he loved her in a 
measure, but, owing to that bitter wrong 
of separating the mother from the child, 
he did not know her love, for him ; his 
tenderest thoughts were not bound up in 
memories of her, and how she had cared 
for him and comforted him in childhood’s 
April day. Besides, t we do not paint our 
Mary as perfect. In many things she 
was a weak woman. Indeed, whatever 
strength she had was Bible strength ; by 
nature she had little of resolution, of 
strong impulses, of ardent loving and 


222 THE KEW YOKE BIBLE-WOMAN. 

hoping. Perhaps if she had had a more 
resolute heart she would have been able 
to keep her child in those early years. 
JN’ow she was rather in awe of Richard ; 
she did not know how to carry herself 
toward him ; . she was afraid of going 
wrong ; and yet, despite of all these dis- 
advantages hampering her actions, tying 
her hands and keeping a gulf between 
herself and the son of her tender love, 
we can show you how her Bible strength 
triumphed, and her son was saved by 
faith and prayer; we think that Angel 
was given Mary as one of her helps with 
Richard, in answer to prayer. 

But now Angel and Richard have gone 
into Mary’s room and are busy at house- 
keeping. Rick made the fire, and Angel 
put the tea to steep and set the table, and, 
meanwhile, crafty little soul that she was, 
told all the items that had drifted to her 

concerning the lecturer Mr. , and 

how she wanted to hear him — she was 


THE PLEDGE. 


223 


careful not to say she had seen him — and 
she knew he was going to speak on Sulli- 
van street right before Ann Wheeler’s, 
and she could not go alone, she was so 
short and there would be so many boys 
there; “And you know, Mr. Ware, the 
boys do mind, though you don’t, Mr. 
Ware, and mother don’t, either.” How 
Angel loved to dwell on that mother- 
love that did not mind her deformity! 
“Won’t you take me to hear the speak- 
ing, Mr. Ware? I won’t be the least 
mite afraid with you.” 

“Why don’t you ask your father?” 
said Richard, a little gruffly. But he 
was sorry as soon as he spoke, for Angel 
said, tremulously, “Father can’t take care 
of me,” and looked up with tears in her 
eyes; so Richard said quickly, to make- 
amends, “Of course I’ll take you. I was 
joking you, Angel; don’t mind. I’m a 
rough fellow; you’ll hate me.” 

“Oh no,” Angel said, very cheerful 


224 THE NEW YOEK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


again; “I could never hate you Mr. 
Ware.” 

“Don’t I do things you don’t like?” 
asked Richard. 

“Yes, you do,” said Angel, boldly; 
“but you’ll stop that, Mr. Ware.” 

“Why will I?” asked Richard, won- 
dering at her confidence, 

“You will, and you’ll be happy, and so 
will your mother and so will I ; and — 
and — I wouldn’t wonder, Mr. Ware, if 
you got to be a policeman with a star 
on your coat!” cried Angel, taking a 
lively flight of imagination. 

“Hoh,” said Richard; and his mother 
came in, glad enough to see him sitting 
there, and tried to interest him during 
supper-time; and he sat by the stove a 
while, and gave his mother what money 
he had and went to bed. He was silent 
enough, yet I believe that visions of a 
blue coat, with a star and a glazed cap 
and a policeman’s bludgeon, hung before 


THE PLEDGE. 


225 


Richard’s eyes that night, waking and 
sleeping. 

Mary sat up late, cleaned and mended 
her son’s clothes, blacked his shoes, and 
laid on a chair beside his bed a collar 
and neck-tie of her own providing. She 
hoped, but there was the haunting fear 
that in the morning Richard would go 
back to his boon companions again, and 
so be unfit to go with Angel. Angel had 
some fears of this kind herself, and was 
early on hand to prevent mishaps. Mrs. 
Mulrooney was fully cognizant of the 
lecture plan, and was sure of escorting 
her husband to hear all that was to be 
heard. She said to Mary, “ Arrah, jewel, 
I’l take him there, though it’ll do not one 
mite of good; but I’m not the woman as 
will leave any stone unturned to make a 
man of me Terence.” 

Mary was the only one to whom Mrs. 
Mulrooney would speak her mind about 
her husband. Did any one else venture 

p 


226 THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 

a word as to Terence’s misdoings, Bridget 
was resolved into an indignation meeting 
at once: “Share Terence was no worse 
than other men. What one wouldn’t 
take a taste of the poison, when never a 
corner could he turn without it bein’ 
poked into his face? Bad luck to them 
as sells it, and makes it, and lets the 
bad laws thrive!” 

Early on Sunday morning, fresh and 
happy, comes Angel into Mary’s room; 
her golden hair is brushed over her 
shoulders in long silken waves; she has 
on her blue Sunday dress, a white apron, 
and about her neck is a bit of lace. She 
sees Richard’s tidy trim at once : “ How 
nice you look, Mr. Ware! just nice enough 
to go to church. Won’t you go with me 
this morning? Bo!” 

“No,” Richard replied, moodily; 
“church is not for me. It is well 
enough to stay at home.” 

Angel loved church. It was much of 


THE PLEDGE. 


227 


a cross for her to stay at home, but she 
said: “Mayn’t I stay here with you, Mr. 
Ware? I’ll read to you and sing to you, 
and you can hear me say my lesson, if 
you’ll let poor ]>7orah stay with us too; 
for she daren’t go to school or church, 
and she’s got nowhere else to wear her 
good clothes.” 

Richard agreed to this proposition. 
He asked Angel to take a walk with him, 
“for a breath of air,” and Angel, knowing 
he felt restive, went with him to keep him 
out of mischief. When they came back, 
Norah, in the clothes she had gotten from 
Mrs. Warren, was waiting to receive 
them. Mary was off on her rounds; the 
room looked clean and cheery; the sun 
shone in at the bright windows, and 
there was a nice cold dinner, covered 
with a white cloth, on a table in the 
corner. Norali sat down near Angel, her 
eyes fixed on the picture of the Good 
Shepherd. Angel read and talked and 


228 


THE NEW YORK BIBLE- WOMAN. 


sang. Many of her innocent words 
smote Richard’s heart. He listened, in- 
terested for a time ; at last dozed a little, 
with his head against the wall. Angel 
thought he slept, so she stopped singing 
and began to talk to Norah, and their 
talk ran in soft tones on their Jiome- 
troubles, and “if” everybody was only 
good, and “if, if” — many “ifs,” between 
* which and themselves King Whisky in- 
terposed. 

“Let’s you and me always be temper- 
ance,” said Korah. 

“Yes, indeed,” said Angel; and then 
thought she saw one of Richard’s eyes a 
little way open, so wisely turned the cur- 
rent of conversation into another channel. 

We are a long while getting to this 
temperance lecture, but it came at last; 
somehow the news had spread abroad, 
and many were ready to go. Black-eyed 
Rose had dressed the baby in its best 
to carry with her to the “speaking.” 


THE PLEDGE. 


229 


Margaret Wishalow was nothing loth 
to take Dermot in his new check suit, 
now that she found Mrs. Mulrooney was 
going, for Mrs. Mulrooney was quite a 
magnate in that neighborhood ; and Mrs. 
Mulrooney had Terence in tow, griping 
his arm tightly, to be sure that he stayed 
outside of Mrs. Wheeler’s shop and at- 
tended to the speaking, instead of inside, 
attending to the drinking. Billy was 
there in a Sunday suit of his own buying ; 
and besides these of our acquaintance, 
nearly all the denizens of those houses 
adjacent strolled up one by one as the 
clear, ringing, touching, electric tones of 
the speaker fell upon the air. Mary 
Ware was in her room teaching those of 
her children who, like Norah, did not 
dare, or, like Lizzie, did not care, to go; 
but as she taught, her heart was truly 
more with that advocate for temperance 
who was speaking to her son than with 
the lesson she was teaching. 

20 


230 THE NEW YOEK BIBLE-WOMAN. 

Richard Ware was at the street tem- 
perance speech. He had lifted Angel up 
upon a board placed across a hogshead, 
and stood beside her leaning against the 
house, his arms folded across his stalwart 
chest, his brows knit, his eyes fixed upon 
the speaker. Angel, with uplifted face, 
parted lips, clasped hands and golden 
hair sweeping back over her shoulders, 
was the personification of the eager lis- 
tener; she sat close to her self-chosen 
protector, her arm resting against his 
broad shoulder. In a crowd Angel al- 
" ways felt frightened and alone, but to- 
day, so near strong Richard and hearing 
such quick, searching, wonderful words, 
she forgot her fears. And now the fervid 
flow of eloquence is stayed a moment; 
the speaker has a pen and parchment in 
his hand; there is a pledge written, and 
who will sign their names to that happy 
vow ? There are two, too eager to wait 
for others. Rose and Billy are pressing 






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THE PLEDGE. 


231 


forward to set down their names, and 
Mrs. Wishalow’s heart -gives a sudden 
bound; she will not see her boy’s head 
go down into a drunkard’s grave. “Me 
too!” cried Angel, quickly. “Mr. Ware! 
help me down ! take me up there ! let me 
sign that good pledge!” and her voice 
was too earnest to be denied, and Richard 
lifted the child down and helped her 
through the crowd, where she might sign 
her name. There were several names 
down now, and Angel, slowly writing 
hers in queer, crooked letters, put the pen 
in Richard’s hand, whispering, “You, too, 
Mr. Ware ! you, too ! You will keep it, 
I know you will. Sign quick, and get 
my father here to sign his name.” Rich- 
ard’s fingers closed awkwardly about the 
pen. He hesitated — he might be free — 
was the bondage sweet? Would he be 
free ? The speaker saw the conflict. He 
saw what noble manhood had been 
wrecked in Richard Ware. He bent his 


232 THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 

head and spoke a few strong, true words 
that woke the slumbering energies of 
Richard’s soul. Richard turned the 
paper about and deliberately wrote his 
name. He drew a long breath. He was 
Drunken Rick no more, but a free man, 
to labor and to win — to take among men 
his own honorable place. Life, with its 
happiest possibilities, was within his 
reach once more. The pledge signified 
much to Richard, and he meant to 
keep it. 

But here was another candidate for the 
honors of signing the pledge. Mrs. Mul- 
rooney escorted her husband to the 
speaker’s side, saying, in her clear, cheery 
tones, “Here’s me Terence to put down 
his name, yer honor.” Terence Mul- 
rooney was very easily moved. He was 
fickle as the wind. Terence was unfortu- 
nately like a gutta-percha face — easily 
pinched one way, and quite as easily an- 
other. He had stood before the speaker, 


THE PLEDGE. 


233 


entering into the whole interest of the 
occasion, smiling when others smiled and 
weeping when they wept. When the 
pledge was jDroduced, Terence waited to 
see which way the vane of his emotion 
should turn ; when Billy and Rose went 
up to set their names to the pledge, Ter- 
ence put one foot forward ; when others 
followed the two children, he took a 
whole step onward ; when Angel pressed 
by him to write her name on the good 
list, Terence cried, “Come, old woman!” 
and when Richard wrote himself free, 
the enthusiasm of Terence rose rapidl}". 
He shouted, “Come on^ old woman !” and 
Bridget, hoping a little and fearing a 
great deal, brought him to the barrel that 
served as a desk. To be sure, Terence 
had never signed the pledge before, and 
Bridget did not know but the pledge 
might have some binding force ; but she 
knew that nothing was very sacred in 
her husband’s eyes. She had heard him 
20 * 


234 THE NEW YOEK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


utter solemn promises of reformation, 
which he broke in an hour ; indeed, he 
23romised most when he had drunk most, 
and yet, jDoor fellow ! his worst fault was 
his weakness. 


CHAPTER VIII. 

ZOST. 

LAS that almost the same page 
must chronicle victory and defeat ! 
While Eichard Ware on that Sab- 
bath evening was telling his mother 
of the signing of the pledge, Terence 
went to the pump for a pail of water for 
his wife. Here his evil genius, Ann 
Wheeler, met him. Ann was furious at 
the business of the afternoon, and was 
determined to retrieve whatever ground 
she had lost, if it were in her power to 
do so. She met Terence as he went for 
water. 

“Good luck to ye!” she shouted; 
“come an’ drink me: health in a glass of 
whisky !” 



236 


236 THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 

“I’ve no money,” said Terence, with 
an uneasy thought of the afternoon. 

“Who talks ov money?” cried Mrs. 
Wheeler. “Ain’t I juist treating all ov 
me friends as has strength to stand by a 
poor widdy, aiming her daily perwisions. 
Come on, Terry ; I sthand threat, man ; 
and it’s yerself is the apple ov me eye in 
the way ov custom. Come on ; ain’t they 
all a-waiting? ‘Troth’, says they all, 
‘we’ll not taste a drap till Terry comes.’” 

Who will credit it? Terence left his 
pail to the Fates, and, bent on evil, trotted 
off to the grogshop, and there uproari- 
ously drank “Long life to the temper- 
ance man!” “Good luck to the pledge!” 
made a speech in favor of cold water, 
and during it drank himself into a state 
of stupidity, after which Ann thrust him 
into the street. 

While Terry was thus making a dolt 
of himself, Ann resolved to look up 
Richard, and, as she did not have that 


LOST. 


237 


fear of Mary that she had of Bridget, 
went boldly to Mary’s room and thrust 
her head in at the door. “Come on, 
Bick !” she cried. “I’m treating all me 
friends to a supper and a drink, and it’s 
you we are waiting for to give us a song. 
Come on ; leave the old woman to her 
prayers, and show us what you can do 
with the dhrink and the fun.” Bichard 
slowly rose and walked to the door. 

“Mrs. Wheeler,” he said, plainly, “I’ve 
been to your shop for the last time. I 
wrote myself free of whisky this after- 
noon, and I mean to stand to what I’ve 
done. It is a pity for a man to encourage 
a woman like you to live by a trade that 
robs other women of all the comfort of 
their lives ; and it’s a pity for a woman 
to stand tempting men to the destruction 
of strong drink. You may come for me 
no more; I’ll drink no more poison at 
your bar. Here I am to look out for 
my mother, and who makes light of her 


238 THE NEW YOEK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


makes light of me, as sure as my name’s 
Rick Ware!” 

To him who has thrown away the 
opportunities of a life-time, who has 
rushed headlong on the downward track, 
hitter are the steps of retrogression. 
How hard it is to battle with long- 
pampered appetites, to win respect from 
those who have noted the long degrada- 
tion, to begin one’s career of honorable 
industry after long-wasted years, and 
slowly climb to competence, only those 
who have shared or closely watched the 
endeavor know. 

How' many times did Richard Ware 
gnash his teeth in very fury at himself 
when he thought of the position, the 
means, the time, the strength he had 
flung away in service of that monster 
whose wages had wellnigh been death. 
Here, almost at middle age, was he at 
the very starting-point ; by this time he 
might have had something to show for 


LOST. 


239 


his labors had he not early sold himself 
into slavery. Richard was angry at him- 
self, but he was not disheartened ; he was 
not the man, because he was not where 
he ought to be, to cast himself out of all 
hope of better things. It took all his 
dogged resolution, all his iron strength 
of endurance, to stifle the temptations of 
his appetite, the sharp cravings for drink, 
the voice of remorse that shrieked, “Too 
late! too late!” Richard had a rough 
path to tread just then, but he trod it 
bravely. Day after day he sought work, 
willing to take mere boy’s employment, 
so that he but had something to do ; he 
was ready for anything that would lift 
him upward from the slough whereinto 
he had fallen. Man as he was, and look- 
ing older than his years, he went every 
evening to night-school with Billy and 
Rose. His Angers, too used to cards and 
liquor-glasses, now held the pen or slate- 
pencil ; he returned to the flrst principles 


240 THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 

of spelling-book and reader, and indeed 
soon found the benefit resulting to him- 
self from this course, for his mind be- 
came clearer, he' grew hopeful and cheer- 
ful, and “Drunken Rick” was buried 
with no fear of resurrection. 

All these trials and struggles and con- 
quests of her son, Mary, sure of sympa- 
thy, rehearsed to Mrs. M^arren; Mrs. 
Warren, interested in the story, repeated 
it to her husband ; and thus, at the differ- 
ent extremities of this chain of circum- 
stances, Judge Warren and Richard 
Ware were drawn together. The judge 
waited a while to see how Richard should 
hold on his way. He wanted to test the 
strength of the man’s new principles, 
and then, for his mother’s sake, and 
through her acquaintance with the War- 
rens, Richard got help ; the judge offered 
him employment with liberal renumera- 
tion, which yet left his evenings free for 
school. 


LOST. 


241 


While Richard’s course was thus cheer- 
ing, poor Terence was meeting with many 
ups and downs. 

Dire was Bridget’s indignation over 
Terence’s quick lapse from the temperance 
principles to which he had pledged him- 
self. The next morning, while her hus- 
band lay in his drunken stupor, Mrs. 
Mulrooney met Mary on the street; she 
took 'her aside and in an earnest under- 
tone began to relate the recent fall of 
Terence. “Och! what’ll a body do?” 
she said; “he means to do well, and he 
can’t; how easy it is for him to slip, to 
be sure ! I’d give him up, only to spite 
Ann ; and he’s me Angel’s father, and he 
was a likely lad onct !” 

“Don’t give him up,” said Mary, strong 
in her own new hopes. .“Talk to him, 
reason with him. He will let you watch 
him. Gret him work, and take him to it 
and from it ; and, Bridget, best of all if 
you would pray for him.” 

21 Q 


242 THE NEW YOEK BIBLE-WOMAN. 

“Troth! it’s not meself as is in pray- 
in’ humor,” said Bridget, hastily. “I 
feel more like going and fighting Ann 
Wheeler, only me Angel don’t approve it. 
Howsumiver, Mary, I’ll take your advise- 
ment as to talking and Avatching, and I’ll 
not give over thrying ; and — you may do 
the praying an’ you like, Mary.” 

Artisans of all kinds were then in de- 
mand, and Terence was known to he a 
good workman when sober, and it was 
easy for him to obtain employment. 
Bridget resolved to take him to and from 
his work, and appointed herself his guar- 
dian to such an extent that she searched 
his pockets and did not alloAv him a penny 
to spend by himself. She complained 
bitterly that this censorship she was ex- 
ercising Avas ruining her OAvn proper busi- 
ness, and making her lose custom ; but 
here helpful xlngel came to the rescue. 
The child Avas sure she could cut out and 
bake the little cakes her mother mixed. 


LOST. 


243 


and prepare sandwiches, as well as any 
one. Indeed, Angel was as good as her 
word, for, mounted on an upturned soap- 
box by the table, she cut wonderful things 
in dough, and proved as wise at the oven 
as her mother; so Bridget’s business 
j)rospered. 

Mary and Richard were not slow to do 
all they could for Terence. Mrs. Wisha- 
low and the other respectable neighbors 
wished him well, and, knowing his weak- 
ness, tried to uphold him in the sober 
ways his wife had chosen for him. Op- 
posed to these, and in league with Ter- 
• ence’s feebleness and depravity, were Ann 
\yheeler and her. hangers-on, and some- 
times one party and sometimes the other 
was in the ascendant. 

At one time, Terence ‘would work in- 
dustriously, smoke his pipe at home in 
the evening by the fire, and listen well 
pleased to whatever small gossip of the 
neighborhood his wife was ready to re- 


244 


THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


peat to him. Again, he would grow 
restive and use all his cunning and resort 
to every subterfuge to escape from sur- 
veillance and get whisky. One day, with 
voluble tongue, he told the pleasures of 
temperance; the next, he forged a dozen 
falsehoods to obtain a glass of strong- 
drink. He pven went so far as to rise at 
night, when Bridget was sound asleep, 
and steal off to the whisky-shop. How- 
ever, being once detected in this kind of 
escape, Bridget forgot not to lock the 
door and hang the key to her own neck 
when they retired thereafter. So far did 
Bridget ^arry her supervision of her 
worser half that one day, when Terence 
heard Angel reading her Sunday-school 
lesson in the twelfth chapter of Acts, he 
very stupidly likened himself to the 
Apostle Peter “sleeping between two 
soldiers, bound with two chains, and the 
keepers before the door kept the prison;” 
and besought his child to be the Angel to 


LOST. 


245 


release him, whereat she was greatly dis- 
comfited. 

We must not suppose that with 
Richard’s reformation Angel dropped all 
those little arts which she had used to 
win him from evil. She read to her 
father and sang to him, but he seemed 
rather bored by these entertainments ; so 
she tried playing jack-straws and fox-and^ 
geese, which she learned from Richard 
expressly for her father’s benefit. 
Terence was fond of whittling, and 
Angel was apt to want a great many 
little knickknacks, the manufacture of 
which should occupy her father’s even- 
ings; and yet, for the most part, it 
seemed as if Terence was going to ruin 
in spite of everybody. 

Each day poor little [N'orah’s lot grew 
harder. She had learned to read a little; 
her willing mind had imbibed a great 
deal of Mary’s scriptural teachings. 
Each Sabbath found Norah a learner 
21 » 


246 THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 

in Mary’s class; and through the week, 
as the Bible- woman went from room to 
room, reading, instructing, comforting, 
aiding, JS'orah followed close at hand to 
hear the voice of her friend repeating the 
truths both loved so well. 

Lizzie had given up peanut-selling, 
and went' to school and sewing-class. 
Margaret roused herself to sufficient 
energy to insist upon this, and Lizzie 
was not as much opposed to instruction 
as heretofore. Under Mary’s direction 
the child was growing more respectable. 
To ISTorah, LizzieL.was still true; indeed, 
it seemed as if T^orah would have starved 
outright had it not been for Mary and 
Lizzie, who secretly gave her food. 
Again and again, when chased by her 
mother out intoMarkness, cold and storm, 
Norah fled to Margaret Wishalow’s room, 
and found Lizzie ready to sleep with her 
on the floor covered with a quilt, as there 
was not room in bed for them both. At 


LOST. 


247 


other times N’orab would find Mary 
ready to receive her. Hard indeed was 
the child’s lot when her wretched mother 
heard she had been to see Mary, or had 
gone with her on her rounds. Ann was 
experiencing a decrease of business, and 
rightly attributed if mainly to the in- 
fluence of the Bible-woman and her 
Book. 

There were other things to be laid at 
Mary’s door. There were families com- 
fortable w^ho a year before had been mis- 
erable; children were in school who until 
now had roamed the streets; and shabby 
figures and faded faces crept on each 
blessed day of rest to His house who 
‘‘seeth not as men seeth,” who “looketh 
not on the outward appearance,” who has 
sent a gospel to the poor, and welcomes 
the most wretched of his children to his 
outstretched arms. 

One cold, clear January evening, Mary 
Ware was busy in her room basting work 


248 THE NEW YORK BTBLE-WOMAN. 

for her sewing- class. Mary Avas a very 
diligent Bible-woman, and faithfully oc- 
cupied every moment that was not needed 
for the few simple wants of her domestic 
life in the work for which she was paid 
by Mrs. Warren. There was ^ no idle 
time for Mary. Early in the morning 
her room was tidy and herself in readi- 
ness to go out on her rounds. At noon 
her brisk hands prepared the dinner, 
and cleared it away in but little time, 
and generally part of the noon -time 
Avas spent in making some Avholesome 
dish for infants or invalids. In the 
evening she did her ironing and her sew- 
ing, and arranged the Avork for her seAv- 
ing-class. One morning in the Aveek 
Mary kept for her av ashing, baking and 
scrubbing, and frequently then had a 
baby or so to keep for a mother Avho 
must get out for an hour, or an old crea- 
ture sitting close to her fire, rejoicing in 
some one to Avhom to pour out her trials, 


LOST. 


249 


and mayhap getting a little comfort from 
Mary’s words of that land “where they 
hunger no more, neither thirst any more, 
and where none shall say, I am sick.” 
A busy life it was for Mary; and all this 
winter, through storm and cold, Mary’s 
brown calico dress, coarse black cloak, 
and hood of black silk, quilted and bound 
with fur, might have been seen going in 
and out of all sorts of dismal dwellings. 
As she carried Jier leather-covered Bible, 
a little bag of tracts and her tin spectacle 
case, the little children called her “Bible 
Mary” more than ever. 

Well, we must not tarry thus, for on 
this cold January evening — late in the 
month it was — Mary worked busily at 
the table, and nearer the stove sat Mrs. 
Mulrooney knitting a black stocking. 
Rose and Billy had gone with Richard to 
night-school; Angel was in bed; and as 
Terence was fast asleep after his day’s 
work, Bridget had locked her door and 


250 THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 

come, as she said, “to talk a bit wid 
Mary and aise her mind.” 

As the two worked and talked, it grew 
nearly nine o’clock, and then they heard 
a feeble, uncertain fumbling at the door- 
latch. Mary at once opened the door and 
pulled the intruder into the room. It was 
JN’orah, almost barefooted, with neither 
hood nor shawl, her hair tangled, her 
dress-waist torn nearly in two, a long red 
scratch down her cheek,, and her teeth 
chattering and her whole form shaking 
with cold. 

“Presarve us all!” cried Bridget; 
“what is this? Come here, you poor, 
frozed little toad, and warm yerself. Has 
that ill mother of yours been ’busing of 
you and turning you out this fearsome 
night, whin Bridget Mulrooney wouldn’t 
put a cat intil the street ?” (Here Bridget 
exaggerated a little, for she had carefully 
set her own Tabby out of her room, for 
the greater safety of her cakes and pies.) 


LOST. 


251 


Mary led ISTorah to the stove, wrapped 
a shawl about her and began to rub her 
chilled hands, while the child strove to 
speak, but from terror and cold could not 
utter a word. 

“Poor thing! you are nearly over- 
come,” said Mary, lifting the little crea- 
ture into a chair, that her feet might get 
warm. “I’ll give you part of the tea I 
have here hot for Richard.” 

“Do that,” said Bridget; “and, if I 
hate the mother, I’ve no grudge again the 
child ; and by that token here’s me stock- 
ings, warm from me own feet, as I’ll put 
on her. It’s not Bridget Mulrooney ’ll 
ketch cowld slipping home, and a warm 
tire waiting for me !” Good as her word, 
Bridget pulled off her own hose and 
drew them on Norah’s blue, shrunken 
limbs. N’orah drank the tea, and thus 
refreshed and comforted she grasped 
Mary’s apron in eagerness, and said, in 
rapid tones, “Oh, Mr^. Ware! Mother! 


252 TPIE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 

It’s awful ! She’s got the trembles, ma’am ; 
she sees snakes ; it’s the horrors — the 
whisky-horrors, ma’am ! She set at me 
to choke me ; she’d killed me, only the 
men took me away ; and she sees things, 
and she shrieks and knocks her head on 
the wall ; and she goes on awful. Them 
that’s there don’t care; they’re just put- 
ting into the whisky and drinking all 
they can, and taking off bottles, and 
mother don’t know nothing only to screech 
and to hunt the things she sees.” 

“Horrible!” said Mary. “Some one 
must go and see to her.” 

“Yes ’m,” said JNTorah ; “she tried to 
kill me, and a man he put me out the 
door, and I was afeard, and I looked in 
at the window ever so long; and now 
most of ’em’s gone off, and mother she 
lies along the floor and just screeches 
awful !” 

“ Hear 1 dear ! somebody must go,” said 
Mary, nervously. “I must go right off.” 


LOST. 


253 


“Don’t you go one step. She hates 
you, and will kill you just as like as 
not,” said Bridget; “it will be right 
wicked of you to do it.” 

“Don’t go alone,” said Xorah ; “oh 
don’t ! But Mr. Richard is so strong ; 
when he comes you go, do please; you 
don’t know how bad she is this time, and 
everybody hates her and won’t go nigh 
her.” 

Mary felt as if she must fly at once to 
the wretched sufferer, and tried to per- 
suade Bridget to go with her. Bridget 
soundly refused, saying she was glad of 
it — it served Ann right. Mary urged 
every plea she could think of — neighborly 
duty, humanity, her own wishes, what 
Angel would say. At length Bridget 
cried, “An ye’ll wait intil Rick comes 
home. I’ll go wid ye, Mary Ware ! Ye’re 
enough to worrit the life out of me.” 

The two women now gave ^^orah some 
bread and meat, washed her, wrapped her 
22 


254 THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 

in one of Mary’s night-dresses and laid 
her in Mary’s bed, where she at once 
fell asleejD. Cares for JN^orah were hardly 
ended when the trio from night-school 
came in. Richard at once said he would 
accompany his mother and Bridget to 
Mrs. Wheeler’s, and he asked Billy to 
run in there after taking Rose home, that 
they might send for a doctor if it should ^ 
be needful. 

A wretched scene was that grogshop. 
Two unsnuffed tallow candles lighted it ; 
the fire in the dirty stove was nearly 
out;. Ann’s last customers had evidently 
plundered the shop, and on the floor lay 
Ann shrieking and writhing, her lips 
wildly telling of horrible sights that 
passed before her frenzied vision. 

The fire was soon made up, and the 
three who had come on their errand of 
mercy got Ann into her wretched bed, 
which they made as comfortable as they 
could. Bridget and Richard exerted 


LOST. 


255 


nearly all their strength in keeping the 
rum-maniac from mischief, while Mary 
stepped about, getting things into some 
sort of order and applying what remedies 
were at hand. Sad experience had made 
these three people wise as to what to do 
in this fearful disorder, but Richard soon 
saw that other aid than their own was 
needed. He bade Billy go for a doctor. 

“He’ll not come here this time of 
night,” said Mrs. Mulrooney ; “no man 
in ’s senses would. Juist tell him what’s 
wrong, and it’s an over-bad case, and 
we’ll be beholden to him if he sends 
us some mighty powerful medicine, and 
steps this way in the morning.” 

Billy did his errand quickly, and, as 
Bridget had opined, the doctor sent the 
medicine instead of coming himself. All 
night Richard, his mother and good- 
natured Bridget watched by the bedside 
of the inebriate, Bridget forgetting all her 
animosity and as attentive as if Ann had 


256 THE NEW YORK BIBLE- WOMAN. 

been her sister. In the morning, Mrs. 
Wishalow and another neighbor came to 
watch, as the sufferer was now more quiet 
from opiates and exhaustion. At home, 
Mary dressed JN’orah in the comfortable 
clothes that had come from Mrs. War- 
ren’s, had her help get breakfast and 
then sent her to stay all day with Rose. 
Richard went foT a physician, and then 
reported Ann’s case to the poormaster. 

“Troth now, Mary, ye needn’t say one 
word; she’ll die; there’s nothing surer,” 
said Bridget Mulrooney, as about noon 
she met Mrs. Ware at Ann Wheeler’s 
bedside. 

“I’m afraid she Avill,” said Mary. 

“And why is it afraid? She’s no good 
to anybody, more’s the pity. ’Deed, and 
if she died, the neighborhood, to say 
nothing for the child, would be better 
off.” 

“That is true,” said Mary, “but think 
how unprepared she is to die. After 


LOST. 


257 


such a dreadful life, to die unrepentant 
and unforgiven is fearful.” 

“Yes, that’s true for ye,” said Bridget. 
“It’s well for them that has acted dacent 
like; when it’s time to die, they ain’t 
afeard.” 

“But who of us is by good conduct 
ready for death?” 

“I’ve done the best I can, and the Lord 
will ask no more of me.” 

Have you done the best you can, 
Bridget? The Lord says we must love 
him with all our heart, mind and 
strength, and live for his glory. Have 
you done that?” 

“I*Io more I haven’t,” said Bridget, 
softly. 

“I hope, Bridget, that whenever you 
think of this death-bed scene you will 
call to mind these words of my Book: 
‘ Be ye also ready, for in such an hour as 
ye think not, the Son of man cometh.’ ” 

Thus these two women talked. They 

22 « R 


258 THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


were in the poor cellar-room. The dirty 
floor, grimy windows, greasy counter, the 
shelves stripped by the last revelers, the 
cracked stove with its sluggish fire, the 
low, ill-covered bed on the floor, — all 
were miserable surroundings of the 
dying drunkard. 

After a few moments of exhaustion and 
stupor, Ann would wake to fierce strug- 
gles and fearful visions; and toward even- 
ing, when the poormaster sent to convey 
her to the hospital, Ann Wheeler was 
dead. The women who had watched 
over the wretched creature’s last hours 
laid out the body decently, and the next 
morning, with pine coffin, rattling cart 
and narrow bed in the potter’s field, the 
last scene of Ann Wheeler’s life was 
finished. 

“There’s a child,” said the poormaster 
carelessly to Mary; “we’ll bind her out 
or send her to a ‘Home.’ ” 

“I’m the Bible-woman of this district,” 


LOST. 


259 


said Mary, “and if you please I’d like 
time to speak to Mrs. Judge Warren 
about the child; perhaps we can make 
some comfortable arrangement for her. 

The result of the consultations of 
T*Iorah’s friends was happy. N’orah was 
to be Mary’s little girl, her adopted child. 
This Richard strongly urged, and Mrs. 
Warren undertook to aid in supporting 
the girl, promising that after a few years 
of schooling she should be taught a good 
trade. 

To have Worah with his mother, to find 
the child caring for him, waiting on him, 
looking up to him, coming to him to help 
her with her school-tasks, made Richard 
feel yet more a man. And as for happy 
Norah, she seemed until now to have 
been wandering in some horrible dream- 
land, and to have just awaked to home 
and friends, to sports and pleasant 
lessons, such as the Lord sends to little 
children. 


CHAPTER IX. 


SATED. 

world is full of contrasts. From 
c3^yj the flower of spring lying on last 
year’s withered leaves; the babe in 
^ its cofiin; the old man, ruddy and 
strong to his threescore years and ten ; the 
rich man, sad amid his wealth ; the poor 
man, complaining of the troops of children 
and the robust health whose lack sets his 
neighbor to repining, and so on, there is 
scarcely anything we see that is not 
touched by its contrariety. Here in our 
story the wreck and hopeless loss of the 
mother in middle life ushers in the rescue 
and satisfaction of her child; and in Kate 
Fairly we now meet a yet happier con- 
trast to the scene of wretchedness and 

death we have just depicted. To some 
260 


SAVED. 


261 


the Lord speaks by the strong wind 
rending and breaking, to some in the 
earthquake, to others in the fire, and yet 
to others, as to Elijah on Horeb, in the 
still small voice. To Kate Fairly, in the 
midst of her happy youth, with all to 
lure her to worldliness or to lull her to 
the false security of a life without the 
Saviour, came the gentle w’^ooing of the 
Spirit, and Kate gave herself joyfully to 
Jesus. Thenceforth it was with a double 
zeal she labored among earth’s highways 
and hedges to bring in strangers to the 
banquet of the King, and sanctified by 
love for Christ were all the offerings she 
brought to the suffering and needy. Need 
we tell of the pure joy of Mar/ Ware, 
when Kate told her what great things the 
Lord had done for her, whereof she was 
glad? 

For some time Prussia Wiggins has 
slipped out of the current of our story. 
Indignant at Mary for refusing her a 


262 THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 

share in her room, and knowing herself 
unpopular in all the neighborhood, 
Prussia stayed for the most part sewing 
in her attic, though she earned quite 
enough to enable her to hire a comfort- 
able room. Prussia was miserly, and now 
devoted herself to saving money, and to 
doing whatever she thought would be dis- 
tressing to Mary or against her princi- 
ples. It afforded Prussia intense satis- 
faction to do her marketing and shopping 
on Sunday, about the time Mary was 
going to church, to go to somebody’s 
room to gossip when they were about to 
accompany Mary to a religious meeting, 
or to endeavor to interrupt a Bible-read- 
ing. 

It was fearfully cold weather in Febru- 
ary, when one evening, Prussia fell on 
the landing near Mary’s room and broke 
her leg. It seemed a very singular thing, 
this accident; for the landing was found 
to be a sheet of sheer ice, and no oiie 


SAVED. 


263 


could tell how any water had come there, 
and Prussia was the last one likely to be 
walking there at that time of the even- 
ing. Richard Ware was getting ready 
for night-school, and the first thing he 
did was to help carry Prussia to her 
room, and the next to strew the ice plenti- 
fully with ashes. Of course, Mary was 
nearly the first one to wait upon the 
sufferer. She sent for Margaret Wisha- 
low, and together they put Prussia to bed 
and made ready for the doctor. Prussia 
seemed quite insensible, and good Mary 
thus spoke her sympathy for the sufferer, 
her gratitude for herself, and her amaze- 
ment at the manner of the mishap : 

“Dear, dear, Margaret! how sorry I 
am for poor Prussy ; she’s so stirring, 
and nobody to look after her ; and it 
comes so hard for her to be sick: she 
will have a dreadful time of it. I wish 
the doctor would come, and may the Lord 
grant that he can mend that leg! I’ll 


264 THE NEW YOKK BIBLE-WOMAN. 

stay with her to-night, be sure. I can 
only wonder that I am not lying in 
Prussia’s place. We’re all so careful in 
this house about spilling water to make 
ice-spots, and I look for slippery places 
every day and cover them with ashes. 
There was no ice there when I went out, 
and I’m sure no water was spilled after I 
came in. It was dusk when I got in. I 
wonder if her head lies comfortable ? If 
you’ll hand me that camphor. I’ll bathe 
it. I must have walked right over that 
ice myself, and I’m such a hand to slip — 
yes, let us have a little more fire — only 
I’d been to see Mrs. Warren, and Miss 
Kate would have me put on a pair of 
woolen overshoes. If it had not been 
for them, I would surely have got the fall 
instead of Prussy. I think she suffers ; 
I saw her wince. Yes, I thank the Lord 
for my own safety, and I’ll do my best 
for Prussy, be sure I will.” 

Prussy began groaning uneasily, and 


SAVED. 


265 


presently Mrs. Mulrooney and the doctor 
came; and after a little time the broken 
limb was set and splinted, and Prussia 
was left to Mary’s care. Relieved by 
Angel and Rose, Mary got some rest the 
next day, and Bridget watched the second 
night. The succeeding day Mary was 
again busy for Prussia. 

“What can I do for you now, Prussy ?” 
she asked. 

“Toothing,” cried Prussia, spitefully, 
“but go away. I know well you’ve got 
enough reading and visiting and preach- 
ing to do without waiting on me, wasting 
time.” 

“This is as much my business as any- 
thing else,” said Mary, “and it is not 
time wasted if it makes you more com- 
fortable.” 

“There now!” cried Prussia, wrath- 
fully, lifting up her head as far as she 
was able. “I’ll tell you the whole story, 
and see if you stay after that. You’ll 

23 


266 


THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


trot oif and tell the whole neighborhood 
in two minutes.” 

“I shall not do so, whatever you tell 
me,” said Mary quietly. “Lie down, 
Prussy, and don’t excite yourself.” 

“I’ll excite you, then!” cried Miss 
Wiggins, frantically. “I threw that water 
on the landing, just to freeze, and tumble 
you down when you came over it; and 
it would, too, only for those woolen 
shoes 1” 

“Why, Prussia, what in the world did 
you want to have me fall down for?” 
asked Mary, mildly. 

“Just to make you quit your Bible- 
reading and preaching, and to see if your 
great folks would care for you, and to — 
well to pay you for putting me out of the 
room.” 

“The room was my own, and I needed 
it,” said Mary, mildly; “but how did 
you come to walk where you knew there 
must be ice?” 


SAVED. 


267 


“I went to the store, and the foreman 
said one of my vests was not done right, 
and cut down my price, and gave me poorer 
sorts to make this time, and we had a 
fuss, and I came near not getting any 
work at all, and — I’d thank you to send 
back what I did get — and it all made me 
so hopping mad that I forgot about the 
ice, and rushed right on to it. There, 
now ! I s’j)ose your Book has something 
about that.” 

“Yes, it has,” said Mary, calmly; “it 
says, ‘Transgressors shall be taken in 
their own naughtiness,’ and ‘The wicked 
is snared in the work of his own hands - 
‘In the net which they hid is their own 
foot taken.’” 

“I declare,” said Prussia, throwing her 
arm over her eyes, “I never -saw such a 
Book!” 

“Yo,” said Mary, in her straight- 
forward manner, “for there never was 
such another book as the Bible. But I 


268 TPIE NEW YOEK BIBLE-WOMAN. 

wish you wouldn’t excite yourself. Prussia, 
for I’m dreadful afraid of a fever for you. 
You needn’t fret on my account : you see 
the Lord took care of me, as he has pro- 
mised to. I’m sorry enough for you, 
Prussia, but if you’ll spend these days 
that you are laid up in seeking the Lord, 
they’ll be the best days that ever you’ve 
lived.” 

“ ’Sakes !” cried Prussia, tossing up her 
other arm in a restless way, “I never did 
see the like of you, Mary Ware! You 
make me mad at myself!” 

The doctor who attended Prussia in- 
sisted on her being removed to a hospital. 
She was not able to hire a nurse, and her 
neighbors could not take care pf her ; 
besides, the tenant-house was noisy, and 
Prussia needed quiet. Miss Wiggins re- 
belled violently against the hospital plan, 
but everybody told her it was for the best. 
The physician was resolute, and at last 
Mary packed up everything that was 


SAVED. 


269 


Prussia’s, and stored the goods wherever 
she could, and Prussia was carried on a 
litter to the hos]3ital which stands be- 
tween Church and Duane streets. Mary 
accompanied her to the door. 

“I’ll come and see you!” said Mary. 

“I wish you wouldn’t!” cried Prussia; 
“it don’t stand to reason that I’d want to 
see you very much. If it hadn’t been for 
you—” 

“I hope I’m not to blame, any way,” 
said Mary the mild. 

“Well, no, but if it hadn’t been for 
you, I’d never have thought of throwing 
that water.” 

“I’m sure I couldn’t help that, Prussy; 
if I’d known you meant to — ” 

“Oh yes, you’d have come and talked 
to me till I got madder than ever. 
You’re a good soul, Mary — too good al- 
most. Grood-bye; don’t come to see me, 
remember.” 

It was through Mary being the custo- 

23 * 


270 THE NEW YOKK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


dian of Prussia’s property that the rest 
of Prussia’s story came to light. She re- 
mained nearly three months in the hos- 
pital, and Mary did visit her, despite her 
prohibitions. So did Angel, “for all she 
had minded so much, you know,” as 
Angel said with a backward glance. 
The child took her flowers and little 
dainties in the kindest way. Perhaps 
these attentions mollified Prussia, for she 
grew a little more endurable; and as she 
was crippled for life, Mrs. Warren pro- 
cured her admission to a “Home,” where 
she sewed as she was able, and for the 
rest was supported. Her last recorded 
remark was to Mary: “You sell those 
things, Mary, and bring me the money. 
I’m going to keep every penny of it for 
my burying ; I’m going to be buried in 
good style. I won’t be buried a pauper, 
if I live one.” And here, out of the range 
of our story, slips Prussia Wiggins, as 
drifts are gliding down the river. 


SAVED. 


271 


Through the spring and summer did 
Terence Mulrooney vibrate between so- 
briety and drunkenness. While Richard ♦ 
Ware, with steady stride, had gone up- 
ward and onward, Terence, by doing no 
better, was in matter of fact doing worse. 
About a year from the time of signing 
the pledge, Bridget and Angel were in 
Mrs. Ware’s room, where Richard was 
sitting with his mother and Norah. The 
burden of Mrs. Mulrooney’s remarks 
was: “What will I do wid me Terence?” 

“The fact is, Mrs. Mulrooney,” said 
Richard, “Terence means well, but he 
can’t stick to it. In this city there’s a 
trap for birds that like the bait at nearly 
every corner. There’s just one hope for 
Terence: if you could find a village where 
you could have a home and a bit of garden 
for. him to work at in the evenings, and 
find him business in his trade for day- 
time, I don’t doubt he’d come out bright 
as a dollar!” , 


272 THE NEW YORK BIBLE- WOMAN. 


“Really, Mr. M^are, if we could, would 
he get sober?” cried Angel, eagerly. 

“But how can I do it?” asked Bridget. 

“Richard and I have talked it over 
often,” said Mary. “You have a little 
money laid up, and if you’d look up a 
place, and spend part of your money 
in moving, you might save Terence 
yet.” 

“But that money is for me Angel, that 
she may never want,” said Bridget, un- 
easily. 

“Oh but, mother, I’d rather have it go 
for curing father. Only think if he got 
sober like Mr. Ware! You must do 
it, mother,” added Angel, patting her 
mother’s ruddy cheek, “for some time 
I’ll die, and then if father ain’t sober, 
how lonesome you’ll be, mother dear!” 

“Vein of me heart!” cried Mrs. 
Mulrooney, catching Angel in her arms. 
“Why will ye talk of dying, jewel? 
Shure its nat’ral for children to bury 


SAVED. 


273 


their parents, and not for parents to be 
layin’ away their children.” 

“But you wouldn’t want it that way 
for me, mother,” said Angel, gently; “for 
when everybody that loves me and don’t 
mind, dies, what would I do? You 
know it will be all right up in heaven.” 

After this, Mrs. Mulrooney could do 
nothing but lavish endearments on 
Angel, and would hear no more just 
then of Terence’s reformation. 

Angel, however, was more helpful as 
each week went by, and she took counsel 
with Richard as to the plan he had sug- 
gested. Miss Kate Fairly was visiting 
an aunt in a village some twenty miles 
from the city, and thither went Angel 
and Richard prospecting, and resolved to 
apply to Kate for advice. 

Miss Fairly received Angel enthusias- 
tically, and, taking hold of her plans with 
her usual warm-heartedness, soon arrived 

at definite results. A house was found, 
s 


274 THE NEW YOEK BIBLE-WOMAN. 

and Angel was to have a little baker- 
shop and sell her mother’s cakes and 
pies. Several ladies promised to employ 
Bridget as their laundress; Richard en- 
gaged work for Terence from a master 
builder, and with joyful hearts the re- 
formed drunkard and the child returned 
to the city to press their suit to Bridget. 
Angel carried the day, as she always did, 
and her anxious hopes and labors met 
their reward in the reformation of her 
father. 

The two years in which Mrs. Warren 
could carry on unaided her Bible- worn an 
enterprise rolled swiftly away, but with 
their ending her faith and effort won 
their recompense. The undertaking did 
not perish; the Master of the vineyard 
owned and prospered the work, and funds 
were ready to maintain Mary Ware yet 
longer in her blessed labors. Side by 
side with Mary a stronger and younger 
spirit was laboring. Richard Ware had 


SAVED. 


275 


been given, a returned prodigal, to his 
mother’s prayers. 

Five years have gone. The Wisha- 
low family have moved into comfortable 
quarters on Broome street. Rose is 
living with Mrs. Warren; Billy is in a 
i3ri n ting- office ; and the three younger 
children are going to school. Margaret 
doubtless would ruin the children by the 
inefficiency of her domestic government, 
but Mrs. Warren and Mary Ware strive 
to keep the irresolute mother to her duty ; 
and to one good thing Margaret, holds 
faithfully — the daily reading in her family 
of the word of God. 

Angel’s dream for Richard is fulfilled : 
he wears the policeman’s star, and an 
earnest servant of law and order is he. 
There is a “poor men’s reading-room” 
established somewhere in that neighbor- 
hood, and out of Richard’s earnest work 
it grew. It would keep many men sober 


276 THE NEW YORK BIBLE-WOMAN. 


and peaceable, he said, and so it has. 
There is a Sunday-school in a poor sort 
of j)lace, not too fine for wharf-rats, and 
gutter-snipes and dust-boys to go to ; and 
there, on Sunday mornings, may Richard 
and his mother and Billy be seen, work- 
ing for Jesus. 

During the long, hot weeks of the 
summer, as the sun is setting, and Avhile 
the purple twilight lingers over the river 
and the sea, the denizens of the crowded 
quarters that lie outside the boundaries 
of gentility press to the docks to catch a 
cooler and .freer air than has met their 
heated faces through the day. They 
throng the lines of docks — old men and 
little children, the youths and weary 
toilers of middle life; haggard, bloated, 
sorrowful, fierce, stern, and — too sparsely 
scattered through the motley group — the 
bluffly honest and content. Threading 
these crowds each day comes Richard 
Ware when off his beat, recognized as 


SAVED. 


277 


the friend of all, with the tract, the 
kindly word, the invitation to Sunday- 
school or reading-room, the proffered 
pledge and the tale of what it has done 
for him. Thus labors Richard for im- 
mortal harvests. 

Bridget Mulrooney has visited Mary 
not long ago. Angel, once in her home 
a loving presence, is now a beloved 
memory. Under the daisies has lain 
down the face that was so fair and earn- 
est, framed in silken waves, and the form 
that, dwarfed and unshapely here below, 
shall rise all perfect on the resurrection 
morning; and with that beloved dust 
that was buried from her sight, Bridget’s 
pride and self-righteousness were buried 
for no arising, and Bridget sat down at 
the feet of Jesus. 

It is thus briefly we have indicated the 
mission of those noble hearts who stand 
in the dark places of the earth, holding 

24 


278 THE NEW YORK BIBLE- WOMAN. 

the light of truth. When once the Word 
of God enters a household, when from 
its open page the gospel irradiates, the 
shadows flee away. Going to the poor as 
one of themselves, speaking from sweet 
experience what Jesus can do for souls, 
meeting with depth of sympathy the woes 
themselves have tasted, stand the Bible- 
women of our land. God bless them all ! 

0 Bible- women ! Pioneers of Zion ! 
pressing on and on where Satan reigns, 
to rescue some, I see you not as homely 
toilers, worn with the burden of your 
cares, and grave and bowed with poverty 
and labor, but ye come to me transformed 
with the refulgence of your gracious deeds 
— all bright, as one day ye shall stand 
fully clothed upon with the righteousness 
of Him you serve, and hear the words, 
“Well done!” 

Ariadne of Naxos, standing on the 
verge of her sea-girt home, the treasures 
of the ocean clasped to her bosom and 


SAVED. 


279 


wreathing in her hair, was celebrated 
with games and dances in her native isle. 
But let the Church, with humble gratitude 
to Him who giveth grace and strength, 
celebrate the praises of those earnest 
workers who stand to' rescue from the 
seething ocean of lost humanity, jewels 
for the crown of Jesus. 


THE END. 


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